


Cold and darkness intertwined

by GhostsOfTwilight



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Amnesia, Angry Jack, Brainwashing, Broken Jack, Corruption, Creepy Pitch Black, Dark Jack, Dark Toothiana, Darkness, Explicit Language, Fearlings, Guardian bashing, Jack Frost and Pitch Black as Allies, Jack Has Issues, Jack is a precious baby, Jack's like nope, M/M, Major Character Injury, Original Character(s), Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Screw Destiny, Seduction to the Dark Side, Shameless Smut, Twisted and Fluffy Feelings, Underage Sex, Voice Kink
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-03-12
Updated: 2015-06-26
Packaged: 2018-01-15 11:00:57
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Underage
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1302466
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GhostsOfTwilight/pseuds/GhostsOfTwilight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jack Frost defies the Guardians. And why shouldn't he? Becoming one of them wasn't his destiny just because the Man in the moon said it. This snags the attention of the Nightmare King who takes Jack under his wing and into the shadows. Together they will prevail. Together they'll bring the world to its knees. MAJOR Guardian bashing {BlackIce AU}</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Awakening in his confusion

**Author's Note:**

> You remember the scene in ROTG where North was like,''It is your destiny.'' when Jack said he didn't want to be a Guardian? Well, that's what of inspired this story. 
> 
> It's because I love Blackice and the Guardians deserve to be destroyed. Heehee.
> 
> There's going to be heavy violence, strong language, MAJOR character death, shameless smut, and generally gay feelings between everyone's broken ice spirit and the boogeyman xD 
> 
> If none of these are your cup of tea, that's what the back button is for. 
> 
> Anyway, here we go~

  _Cerulean waters shimmered and glowed from the streak of bright and silvery moonlight bathing the lone silhouette in a gentle caress, almost seeming to soothe the boy's twitching form as he struggled to open his eyes..._

* * *

 The forest was filled with a peaceful serenity and the silence wasundisturbed as nothing stirred within the dense snow covered trees that stood tall and proud in the cold night. Ice had turned to slush that had long since melted into the ground, the soil damp and cold. A long narrow path led straight down to a wide open frozen lake, the turquoise colored water shining brightly underneath due to the brightness of the moon's soft embrace.

Suddenly the silence was shattered as a small crack resounded through the area, growing larger and the sound louder as it quickly spread, large chunks falling and drifting into the water. A figure lunged out of the water, desperately gasping and wheezing for breath as he scrambled on shore. He doubled over on all fours and coughed violently, trying to rid his lungs as much of the freezing water as possible.

He was absolutely confused and terrified at his predicament; how had he got here? Jack noticed his hands and feet..hell, his entire body was numb and he waited a second for his body to go into shock, but nothing happened...

His bright blue eyes widened and he rose shakily to his feet and stumbled away, shaking his head in disbelief. This couldn't be happening! This couldn't be real, right? He took a trembling breath and then forced himself to calm down as he started to pace around in front of the lake.

_Think, c'mon, think..what happened before?_

Jack did his damnedest to recall anything, but it was almost as if his mind was wiped completely clean.

"I..I can't remember..." Realization then struck him."..I can't remember anything!" Jack's panicked voice echoed through the forest and fell on his knees, shaking.

He felt a scream bubbling up from within his throat and at that moment, he just wanted to scream and scream and never stop. He choked on his words and a small whimper escaped his lips as he tried not to focus on freaking himself out.

Jack needed to think about what he knew so far, which was not much considering all he had to go on was he woke up in a frozen lake with no recollection of how he got there, and he couldn't feel the cold air on his skin at all.

"I need to know...what happened to me?"

Jack saw his shepherd's crook laying a few feet in front of him and pushed off from the ground to go retrieve it. Inside of feeling the solid forest floor, he felt air on the soles of his feet.

His gaze slowly panned from his waist to his body which was now just hovering inches from the ground."W-what…?" He spoke in a quiet voice as blinked down at his levitating body."I..I can fly…?"

This had to be some kind of weird dream. Humans of all creatures can't fly! Jack forgot he was in air as he made an effort to get away from…himself when his back met the bark of the tree. He slid down the base in a daze and sat there for a second, trying to clear his mind; stars blurred vision.

"Okay, make that another "what the hell?" moment on my list…"

After a few moments, the incredibly confused boy picked up his staff and slowly eased himself upright once more.

He needed answers and he needed them now. This was just ridiculously out there, so in fact that he was fully convinced this was all a dream. Jack pinched his arm and shut his eyes in hopes that when he opened them, everything would be back to normal.

Blue eyes snapped open and much to Jack's distress, everything was exactly the same. He was still in the forest in the dead of night, confused beyond belief.

With a sigh, he started through the forest on foot because he was a bit nervous about flying again. The woods grew thicker around him as walked deeper into the freezing air, which he didn't even feel for reasons unknown.

That's when he saw a lone village off in the distance and he started toward the lights determined to get some answers. There weren't many people around, but that didn't matter to him as he approached a little boy who looked to be about five.

"Hey, can you tell-"

And that's when it happened. The child ran right through him, like he was some kind of ghost. He stared after the boy in shock, and then made a hasty retreat back into the forest, alone.

Jack looked up at the moon..the moon...his creator, the one who had created him for something.

The man in the moon.

He had but a single question to voice.

"...Why?"

* * *

 The teen spent his days alone and isolated from everyone, watching in sadness and confusion as person after person just passed through his body. And as people did pass, time passed as well. Over the years, he watched the world develop and change. It didn't matter to him; he knew change was inevitable anyhow.

But one thing never changed for the young man.

His lonely nature.

The loneliness was staggering and Jack wished he knew why he couldn't be seen and why he was cold to the touch. Days turned into months, and months turned years. Miserable ones at that. How much time had even passed since he was awakened? As of now it was three hundred years of bitter pain and sadness. And it would continue on like that.

But Jack eventually learned to cope with his situation and spent most of his time using his staff to create intricate designs of snowflakes on trees and he created little animated statues out of animals out of ice, which he had to admit was pretty cool.

Another activity he enjoyed doing was playing pranks on people, such as dumping snow and ice on people and their belongs, laughing at them when they would look around in utter confusion.

He had no idea why, but he now found snow simply beautiful and Jack used it as a source of comfort when he'd start to feel bad.

Since Jack could not be seen, he had no use of money or other such things. But he still needed to eat, sleep, and do all the normal activities that a mortal did in their everyday lives.

All but one.

He couldn't die. Well, not again since he tectonically was dead now. Immortality came at a price, but not much of one. It didn't come to a shock to him as soon as he figure it out. Perhaps because nothing surprised him anymore.

Jack lounged lazily high up in a tree with his staff leaning against the large trunk. The ice spirit placed his arms behind his head and directed his attention towards the sunset off in the distance.

He was content with the way he was right now. No worries, no responsibilities, he could do what he wanted when he wanted, where he wanted.

He was about to fall asleep, when that one question started in his mind again. It made him feel on edge, nervous, scared...

What's my purpose? Jack knew he hadn't been graced with this gift by random, there just had to be something more going on.

He slumped against the hard bark and sighed to himself, all of a sudden feeling uneasy. He continued to gaze at the many mix of bright colors which were supposed to fill someone with warmth and comfort.

But it was just another reminder that he was alone for the night and no one could see him. Was there anyone like him out there? Could there be? Would they know who he was? These questions never ceased in his brain as he yanked the hoodie of his jacket over his white hair and shut his eyes.

"Who…or what am I?"


	2. Finding answers and losing his mind

He'd never really given any thought to his lonely feelings before as he made it through the day after day. Maybe it was because he learned to shove it in the furthest parts of his mind so he wouldn't dwell on the reality of what was now his life. Every morning Jack would wake up in the same tree and stare out at the rising sun, the beautiful hues of different colors reaching his vision. It was almost comforting to him in a way, so much that the serene view would ease his depressing thoughts. He made up his mind that he would not let his depression get the best of him and that he needed answers.

So the logical thing, he decided one day, would be to go to the library. They would surely have something about what he was and what he could do with his powers. But first, he needed to begin his daily routine.

Making his way down the tree, the teen landed gracefully on the ground and walked over to another large tree that was just a couple steps where he was and peered into the large hole within the base. It was like a mini room with an assortment of items that he'd collected over his time in the forest. Jack had to resort to stealing because he needed to survive just as much as the rest of the world. And it wasn't like he could get a job anywhere.

Jack had a pitiful stash of items though. A dusty mirror that was cracked down the middle was propped up against the furthest part of the tree with a few small boxes of chips and cookies placed in front of it. On a small wooden table near the entrance there was a toothbrush, a bottle of half empty toothpaste, and some soap.

Casting his gaze around the small area, he shrugged as he walked over to the mirror and shrugged to himself."It's not much, but it's all I've got."

Brushing some of the dust off with his fingertips, Jack stared at his reflection where a tired looking teenager with bright blue eyes stared back. He noticed a couple of dust clods in his snow white hair and immediately brushed them off; Jack hated having anything dirty on him which is why he would cleanse himself of grime and dirt every morning after he ate.

Grabbing a handful of cookies and chips, he ate quickly and then stripped himself of his jacket, shorts, and boxers before placing them gently on a tree branch.

He grabbed the hygienic supplies off the table and walked out into the overcast day. Jack heard the familiar rush of water as he eventually came upon the lake's shore and waded into the shallow part. After doing an incredibly good job of washing himself as well as brushing his teeth, Jack took a deep lungful of air and dunked his head into the water and then came back up for air with his head tossed back, water droplets dripping from the ends of his air.

Jack loved the feeling of the water running down his cool body and rested on his back on shore for a moment before slowly standing and making his way back to his little camp he'd set up ever so carefully.

After making sure everything was in order and no trespassers had been inside, Jack dressed and adjusted his jacket on the way out, retrieving his staff from the tree.

He took a deep breath and faced the direction of the small town in the distance.

It was time.

The library was scarce as the teen made his way inside of the building which was large and stacked wall to wall with shelf after shelf of books. The windows were large and made so anyone could look outside at the snowy weather and its quiet, serene beauty. Jack took no notice of this, however, and he wasted no time in starting his search.

After a few minutes of browsing the shelves near the back, Jack's fingers traced against a the faded spine of a book titled Myths and Legends: A complete guide to spirits. He tugged on the book a bit and had some difficulty lifting it out since it was a bit heavy. He managed to get it out after a few more tries and sat on the floor against one of the other shelves as he cracked open the worn book.

A small cloud of dust flew in his face and he coughed and he rubbed at his eyes before starting to begin his reading. The inside of the book, thought dusty and worn with age, still kept together well. Each page was readable for the most part; the words were written in elegant cursive format which wasn't too hard for him to figure out.

"Let's see, let's see…" He murmured to himself and he paused with his thumb on his bottom lip."My powers have something to do with cold weather…"

He flipped through page after page until he finally came across a page that had a drawing of a blue skinned man with short grayish white hair. Jack arched an eyebrow in interest as he gazed at the drawing, then his gaze slowly traveled to the top of the page.

Jack's eyes widened and he gripped the book tightly as he shakily brought it closer to his face, the words-no, name rather-seeming to grow larger the more he looked at it.

Jack Frost.

He swallowed and started to read from there, his stomach clenching up at the words he read. No, no..this couldn't be him! It..it couldn't!

Jack Frost is a spirit and the personification of crisp, cold, winter weather, a variant of Old Man Winter. He is also at times shown as a mischief-making spirit, carefree and happiest when he can behave as he pleases. With no obligations, he is able to flourish.

He is traditionally thought to leave the frosty, fern like patterns on windows on cold winter mornings (window frost or fern frost) and nipping the extremities in cold weather.

There was more text, but Jack barely took notice as he started to hyperventilate and his breathing picked up as he struggled to breathe and get himself under control, the book dropping from his hands,. He was in shock, complete and utter shock as reality started to settle into his mind. Being able to fly, the power to manipulate the cold weather, it all started to make sense.

But never in a million years, would he ever suspect he'd be reincarnated as this..this ice spirit. But then why had he been changed? And by who? Or what?

Shakily, he picked up the book again to see if there anything concerning the answers to his questions, but there was none.

Frustrated, he tossed the book against the wall where it slid down and hit the marble floor with a audible thump.

What was he to do now?

Suddenly he heard large footsteps followed by deep grunts from far off and Jack froze as he slowly peeked from behind the bookcase to see what the hell could be making that noise.

His mouth went dry again at the sight of two large brown yetis who were shuffling around the room, sniffing the air with their small pig like noses.

Jack merely stood there in disbelief as the two behemoths continued to look around in search of something.

What the fuck.

He was paralyzed in the spot as they came nearer and nearer to where he was and for the first time in his life, he was scared beyond belief. What were they doing here?

He pressed himself against the back wall and thought about what to do. His options were flee or try to fight. Jack had never fought before and he was doubtful that he could ever take one of the yeti down. He clutched tightly onto his staff and was about to shut his eyes to think about how he could escape without being seen when a strong Australian accented voice rang out.

"Come on out, Frost. We ain't gonna' hurt ya. Now come out quietly."

Oh, great. There's three of them. Jack inwardly groaned to himself and glanced out at the window at the outside world. Oh how he wanted to be out there in the snow and back in his tree with his drawings and little campsite that he'd created. But no, here he was, stuck in a situation that could possibly have him harmed in some way.

He took a step back and his stomach plummeted as he felt his skinny backside being pressed up against a large furry body. He was incredibly nervous as hot, wet breathing seemed to sound right in his ear. Jack slowly turned and the yeti growled at him, narrowing its small eyes threateningly at him. In an instant, he found himself being flung over the massive shoulders of the beast and he pounded his fists against the back of the yeti weakly.

"Let me go!" He yelled and struggled and thrashed around in the firm grip. The yeti grunted in annoyance and started shuffling forwards.

"Stop strugglin', mate. It's only gonna' make things worse." The deep gruff voice spoke again and Jack turned his head to see the weirdest sight ever and would have laughed out loud if this had been an entirely different situation.

A large light blue and white furred rabbit stood with a large brown sack in his large paws. Muscles bulged underneath his fur and a giant boomerang was strapped firmly across his chest. The rabbit's pink nose twitched as he held open the bag, fixing Jack with a hard stare.

"Well, whaddya waitin' for, Easter?!" He suddenly turned to the yeti holding Jack."Let's get goin'! I've got eggs to decorate and I don't need to play babysitter for some kid!"He didn't care as he was being insulted and tried to think of the words the bunny ( who more seemed like a kangaroo in Jack's mind ) had said before.

Wait a minute, eggs? Decorate? He couldn't be the-

Jack was cut off in mid thought as he was rudely shoved in the sack along with his staff. He was immediately met by darkness and he struggled to breathe, feeling dizzy and cramped inside such a small space. He tried to process just what the hell had just happened but then the darkness overtook his senses and he passed out.

* * *

 All was quiet in the little girl's room as she slept soundly in her bed. Her short blond hair fell in front of her eyes as she clutched onto her teddy bear happily. Her parents were in the office next to her room and working on paperwork for their jobs, prepared to get up at anytime if their daughter woke up from her daily nap.

Everything seemed in order, normal. Or it would have been if not for the shadows twisting itself up from the floor. The inky blackness took form of a tall thin figure with bright yellow eyes and sharp teeth. Running a bony finger through his short spiked black hair, the tall thin figure gazed down at the sleeping child and let out a low chuckle.

"Oh, look at that. She's so peaceful. Her dreams must be filled with such happy thoughts."

Long ago, he would have been annoyed by the golden dream sand encircling her head, but not anymore. He could change good dreams to horrible, vivid nightmares with just one flick of his finger.

"But it's missing something. A touch of fear." At the last word, he pricked the misty yellow unicorn that was galloping around in circles around her head and it flinched almost as if in pain. Its body cracked and turned a combination of deep black and blue. The eyes turned a bright yellow and the dream sand turned the same color as the newly transformed Nightmare.

The girl immediately began shaking and screaming loudly in her sleep as the horse continued to circle and neigh.

He inhaled her cries and sighed blissfully as he watched her continue to jerk around and cry out for her parents.

"Oh how precious. You think mummy and daddy will protect you, save you from my beautiful nightmares? That's a laugh. You see, fear is everywhere. And that means I'm everywhere…"

His low laughter echoed as he took the shadows again and phased through the wall and out into the night sky to go rest at his lair for the night.

To say it was completely dark in the boogeyman's lair wasn't entirely true. There were some small hints of light that shown through the cracks in the walls and ceiling. Long, twisting hallways sprawled throughout the place as he glided through his home of nightmares and other creatures of the night.

Stopping at the large globe, his golden eyes hardened at the sight of almost all the lights in the world still on.

Belief.

The word played in his head like a broken record and he balled a thin hand into a fist as an ugly memory ran through his head.

His constant defeats…

Forced to hide in the darkness…

They were loved, cherished by all, and he was nothing…no. He needed to remind himself that he once had been something, someone. Back then at least. Now he was just another laughing stock that was mocked, laughed at for attempting to scare the people of the world.

Oh, he'd show them. He'd rise again and crush them all until they were nothing. He suddenly chuckled as he stared at his long black fingernails, feeling content as he heard the noises of the Nightmares in the far distance.

He then conjured up pictures of the oh so great big four on the globe and curled his lip into a sneer. He held nothing but hate for them and what they had done.

They'd pay.

Dearly.


	3. Defying my destiny

Jack's mind was hazy and his vision was horribly blurred to the point where he couldn't see straight. His eyes snapped open and he immediately noticed he was curled up in an uncomfortable position with his staff jabbing painfully into his stomach. He let out a weak groan and suddenly the memories of the past hour came rushing back. His throat and chest tightened and he quickly remembered he had been shoved in a sack and was now who knows where. Straining his ears, he heard muffled voices from outside and he tensed.

He inhaled shakily in the dark, cramped space and shook with frustration, not that he was scared, but that didn't measure up at all to how he was feeling all that moment. He was downright pissed at being kidnapped right out of the blue like this.

Seriously, what the hell? And after he just found out just what exactly he was. He knew not to show fear because if he did at any point, he'd be too frightened to do anything and that wouldn't go over well.

His hand closed firmly around his staff and he clenched his teeth, expression hardening suddenly. If whoever had kidnapped him harmed him in any way, he wouldn't go down without a fight. His vision blurred and he could see nothing but red as he felt an overwhelming sense of rage take ahold of his body.

_Enough of this shit._

With a feral snarl and a narrow of his bright blue eyes, Jack tore violently out of the sack by stabbing the hooked end of the staff through the material, the sack completely tearing in two as he fought his way out and into the sudden bright light.

He immediately shielded his eyes and once his eyes adjusted, swept his gaze around him to see where he was and if there was an possible escape route. He heard what sounded like hammering from a large wooden door on the other side. And so he decided to investigate.

What he saw made him stop and stare for a good long second. A place full of wonder and mystery met his eyes as Jack took in what he thought was going to be some disgusting dump of a place.

A giant rotating silver and gold sphere in the middle of the room, suspended in the air which he could only assume was by magic. It was huge, but not as such as the massive yetis that were busy at working creating toys of all sorts.

Little elves with long pointed ears were scurrying around, the gold bells on their red and green hats jingling as they squeaked at each other in their native tongue, holding lists.

To realize that he was in Santa's workshop was a no brainer, but he just couldn't seem to believe it. After all, Santa Claus was just a myth, right? But then there was that large rabbit that had kidnapped him…THAT snapped Jack back to his current situation at hand; there was no time to be caught up in this magical Christmas bullshit.

"Need to get outta here…" He backtracked his way through the door and bumped into a large furry chest. Jack's eyes narrowed once again as he saw the same rabbit from before fixing him with a sharp glare, large boomerang clasped firmly in his paw.

"You're not goin' anywhere, mate!"

He violently tensed and raised his staff threateningly in the air as he took up a fighting stance."Yeah? Says who?!" The large Pooka didn't budge from where he stood and was unfazed by Jack nearly stabbing him in the face with his staff.

"Why the man in the moon chose you…" The words were spat at Jack angrily as the rabbit raised his boomerang which made Jack want to flinch, but he didn't. He stood his ground and then tilted his head to the side slightly at his words. The moon? What was going on? "The hell are you talkin' about?" Jack snapped and the rabbit rolled his eyes.

"Are you stupid or something? The man in the moon choses someone to join us when the world's in danger."

"Well, I'm not interested. I'm not a savior." Jack replied shortly and and suddenly heard a strong, heavy Russian accented voice come behind him.

"Sure you are! Everyone can be a savior if they want to!"

Oh great. There were more of them? Jack spun around and a large heavy set Russian man stood a couple feet in front of him. He had a long white flowing beard and wore a black Russian cap on his head which matched his large red and black suit. On his arms, he had the words NAUGHTY and NICE tattooed on each in large block letters.

Floating next to him was a bizarre figure of a part human, part hummingbird hybrid. Instead of hair, she had feathers that made a curved upward style and rather than clothes which would just look weird, her entire body was covered in mini green and golden feathers, the lower half filled with drapery feathers that started at her waist line and ended at her knees, giving her the appearance of a skirt or dress, which added to the bright and cheerful decor of the workshop. 

Around her wrists and ankles, golden lines that resembled golden bracelets and golden anklets jingled, in time with the beats of her flurried wings.

The hybrid was giving him a weirdly happy look that made him uneasy. Standing next to her was a yellow skinned man with droopy looking eyes and a small smile. Either he was high or sleepy, Jack couldn't tell. They all looked harmless enough, but Jack wasn't about to let his guard down.

He backed away more from the strange group and raised his staff in the air, taking up a fighting stance."Look, I'll talk however I damn well please! Now, I want answers and I want them now!" Jack demanded in a threatening tone.

"No need to be so hostile, Jack." The Russian spoke calmly and cleared his throat. He motioned him forwards and the ice spirit had barely moved an inch forwards when he all of a sudden was tackled by a green blur.

"Jack Frost! It's you! It's really you!" The woman was suffocating him as she giggled, wrapping him up in a big hug. He felt like he couldn't breathe and if he could have choked out any words, it would be to tell her to kindly piss off.

She thankfully let of him and he gave her a sharp glare in her direction as she shot him a small, embarrassed grin."Sorry! Sorry! I'm just so excited that the man in the moon chose you to become a Guardian!"

Jack stared at the assembled Guardians in utter disbelief. The Man in the Moon...chose him to be a Guardian? He chose NOW, after THREE-FRICKEN-HUNDRED years of nothing but silence? After all this time he screamed, begged, even pleaded with the damn lunatic to give him even a speck of acknowledgment!? Just a damn HINT of what his existence was for, and why!? After all this time, he chose NOW as the best time to call Jack out on something, as if he actually OWED him?! 

He slowly shook his head in astonishment at them all."You...are all fucking insane." Jack's eyes narrowed. "You think you can just...just...shelve me like an old doll, and then after ALL THESE YEARS, come back and think I'm just going to roll over and listen to you like a neutered dog?" He sputtered and shook his head in pure disbelief.

"...To just-just, join this little rag-tag fanclub of yourself, and be like-like YOU!" he gestured furiously to the astonished Guardians, "No...no, no, no. FUCK NO, you can take that, and your offer of a Guardianship, and shove it up your ass!"

The silence in the room that immediately trailed after Jack's angry outburst was thick with tension and anyone could have heard a pin drop. Jack gazed around at all of their almost horrified faces as he caught his breath. Everyone, least for the rabbit, looked like he'd just slapped them in the face. They all looked so..so dumbfounded for a second until Bunny turned to speak to North and gestured to Jack with one of his boomerangs."You see? Frostbite doesn't even want to be here! But I could set em' straight for ya if you want!"

Jack raised his staff threateningly; he had no idea what he could exactly do with it, but he could damn well find out."Don't. Threaten Me."

"Enough of this nonsense!" North stomped toward Jack and glared harshly down at him."Jack, this is just phase you are going through. You just need a little time to adjust, you'll get used to your new life! Now come!"

He couldn't believe it. After his little outburst, North STILL wanted him to be apart of them even just after he told them he had no intention of joining them. Were they stupid? Or really persistent? Both, really in Jack's mind ;They wouldn't give up and he had bitten the inside of his lip in his anger , frustration churning in his stomach as he reluctantly walked over to North.

As soon as he approached the sleepy looking man, the yellow skinned spirit whacked him roughly upside the head.

"Ow! What was that for?!" Jack shot him a glare and sighed in frustration to himself. So far, he was not liking this strange group. He'd been kidnapped, threatened, hugged right out of nowhere by a complete stranger, and now some weird stoned looking guy had just hit him on the head."I didn't even do anything to you!"

The man made a few quick symbols in the air way too fast for Jack to even follow. The ice spirit glowered at him."Um..that's not really helping."

"He hates cursing. In fact, we all do." Tooth explained as she flitted around North and Bunnymund with a serious look."If you're going to be one of us, you're going to have to remain innocent."

_Why would I want to join you guys if this is how you're going to treat me? I already don't like the rabbit and Tooth annoys me already, North, I can already tell is going to be on my case, and Sandy is going to hit me every chance he gets because I sure as hell am not going to stop swearing anytime soon._

And innocence? Jack was hardly innocent. At least he thought himself as such. In order to survive, he had to resort to stealing and he had cursed up a storm before. So what was the point in even remaining innocent? He sighed and was about to reply with a rude comment, when he spotted a large ornate globe that was dotted with a hundred or so lights in the corner of the room,looking large and imposing.

North cleared his throat and clapped his hands together as the other three gathered around him and the globe. He looked relieved that everyone was finally quiet so he could begin his speech.

"You see, Jack, we are the Guardians, protector of childhood and happiness throughout the world, bring joy to children everywhere. Each dot on the globe represents a child who believes in us...and you." The young man listened with an uninterested expression. Childhood? Children? God, he couldn't stand children at all! Jack had seen some little assholes a while back, screaming at their parents to buy them the latest toys, or whatever it was children were into these days. But he couldn't let the others know of his distaste, or he would probably be attacked, or worse. While the Guardians didn't look like much, he again was just being cautious.

"Gee, how exciting." Jack finally remarked sarcastically and North's face broke out into a wide grin at the ice spirit's response, obviously missing Jack's sarcasm."I knew you would think so! It's your destiny after all because Man in moon said so! NOW MUSIC!"

Jack found himself being shoved forwards as confetti suddenly rained down on him and a yeti playing a boombox that blared happy sounding music appeared out of nowhere.

This whole situation annoyed him greatly. Here he was in a place where he obviously didn't want to fit be, and worse still this was supposed to be his purpose?!

To walk eternity, miserable and constantly angry at being forced to do something he didn't want to? No.

No.

This wasn't the life for him! His destiny wasn't set in stone just because the moon said so!

The ice spirit's expression turned from surprise to anger and he shook his head violently and slammed his staff down on the floor."NO! OKAY? WILL YOU JUST LISTEN?!"

The music died off immediately and the disappointed yeti shuffled away as Jack turned to angrily face the group, thrusting his hands out at the globe."…So THIS is my purpose? To protect and be some savior to a bunch a children who don't even know I exist? I'll pass! Oh, yeah, and you left the part out when they forget about you when they're OLDER!" Jack snarled out the last word and balled his left hand into a fist. Tooth looked shocked and nervous, Sandy looked angry, Bunny looked like he was about to start yelling, and North just remained silent as the teen continued to yell.

Their expressions brought Jack some kind of grim satisfaction, knowing that they probably had never been rejected before. He took a moment to stared at all of them before continuing his rant in a much lower voice.

"Cause that's what kids do, yeah? They grow up and eventually forget that you exist. So really the little group you have going here is completely pointless."

He paused to catch his breath, his throat raw from screaming as he rasped out after a few minutes."…..And don't even tell me that it's my destiny, because it's not!"

Tooth was the first to speak and her voice was wavering slightly."B-But…the man in the moon said it was your destiny-"

He laughed, and then laughed again, as he got in her face."The man in the moon's words are bullshit. And my destiny? It's not with you, sweetie. And it's not with the rest of you either." The tooth fairy's eyes welled up with tears and she turned away from him, starting to sob quietly.

Like he cared. He spun on his heel and started to walk away when he heard the large footfalls of Bunnymund running toward him at a rapid pace.

"You good for nothing, selfish, irresponsible, arrogant-"

In an instant, Jack had summoned a giant shard of ice and whipped around to stab at the Easter bunny flying at him. He saw anger give way to fear in his eyes, and that somehow made him feel good. Happy even.

It all happened so fast that Jack didn't even have time to think about these strange feelings or what transpired in the few seconds between. Tooth's fist collided harshly with his jaw and his head snapped back as he slammed into the floor.

The last thing he saw before he blacked out was North's disappointed and large figure looming over him.

* * *

 Silence met his ears as he slowly stumbled to his feet and his jaw hurt like a bitch. Jack glanced warily around him and did his best to ignore the throbbing pain in his mouth. He was in a large empty room with a large window that led outside in the snowy wonderland. The light from the moon shown brightly through the window and at one point it would have been soothing, but now it just pissed him off.

Jack gazed out at the moon with a deep hatred within his icy blue eyes."I defy you." His voice was laced with venom and nothing more. His jaw hurt more and more each passing second and he winced slightly from the pain. Jack's rage faded into sadness and he stared down at the floor. He wanted to have some sort of contact, to chat with someone. But not like this! This wasn't the way it was supposed to go!

He was in pain, and he was tired. But he knew he had to escape. Jack could try escaping in the barren whiteness that was the North Pole, but he wouldn't even know where to go.

He sunk in defeat down to his knees in a corner of the room and saw his staff lying a couple feet from him unharmed.

Then the severity of the situation hit him as he curled up in a tight shaking ball with his eyes shut. He was going to get harmed most likely for nearly attacking Bunnymund, and for what? For defending himself? Oh, and he would had no problem harming him either! For reasons unknown, the bunny hated Jack and now he had a good reason to.

But Jack could very well justify his own actions; he'd been pushed and prodded into believing that was he was supposed to be a Guardian. But Jack didn't believe them, or the moon's words for face value. He wasn't gullible.

Jack's thoughts drifted back to his escape plan to see if he could come up with one, but sleep clouded his brain activity. And so, he fell asleep in a ball of anger, sadness, confusion…and fear.

The figure in the shadows watched the boy sleep restlessly and then was gone into thin air as if he'd never been there.

* * *

 Keeping tabs on the Guardians wasn't always on Pitch's agenda. The man had better use to make of his time than to sit and wait for the group of bumbling idiots to do something attention worthy. He wasn't obsessed with them that was for sure. He only checked up on them on occasion to see if they were making progress, so he could crush them and all of their rotten little believers.

So when he heard that the man in the moon had chosen a new Guardian, Pitch decided to go and see who it was for himself. He snuck around North's workshop, undetected by using his shadows. And the best part is, the idiots never even realized he was there as he spied on the young frost spirit. And what he had learned made his heart pound in excitement. The boy didn't want to be a Guardian? No one had ever gone against the moon's decision before, but it would appear this fascinating young man had just did.

... Oh how unfortunate for them, and how fortunate for the boogeyman.

The newer, younger spirit created by the Man in the Moon. My, such a young spirit, Pitch thought to himself. -he had never actually seen or met him before, but Pitch had heard rumors and of his description. A mischievous, if not bitter, ice spirit. Ignored by many, and scorned by even more. Just like Pitch himself.

Yes, Jack was a teenager at best. Rebellious, foul mouthed, and arrogant. Not to mention, ruthless. Oh, he'd seen the way Jack's eyes had lit up when he was about to stab the rabbit with the ice shard.

Such devious and delicious threatening actions. The man in the moon had created Jack to spread joy and happiness through the world and to all the insufferable little brats, but perhaps Pitch could tweek his powers and show him what Jack himself had been missing out on.

Jack didn't know it yet, but he had so much going for him, so much away from the Guardians that Pitch could show him.

And the nightmare king planned to do just that as he sat on his throne deep in his lair, long fingers curled around the armrests.

"I have such plans for you..."

Pitch Black stared up through the crack in the ceiling, seeing the bright moonlight stream through down onto the floor.

"I'll steal him from you. He will be mine." The moonlight shifted almost angrily and Pitch smirked."You say it cannot be done? Well, old friend, I assure you, you're wrong."

A cold smile twisted his lips.

"As far as I'm concerned, he already is mine."


	4. The dark alliance

The ice spirit's eyes fluttered for a second, closed, then snapped open once he realized he was no longer lying on the floor of the room he'd been previously placed in, but was lying in some grass. Jack blinked and tried to get up so he could look around, but then he saw why he couldn't move his hands to push himself into a standing position.

A single long rope of golden dream sand was wrapped around his wrists, binding them in a tight fashion which made him wince at how uncomfortable it was rubbing against his skin. Once again, Jack felt frustrated at how he was being treated and wanted to scream as the sandman's face suddenly appeared in his range of vision, much to Jack's annoyance. Sandy stared down at him with a stern, but small glare which made the teenager glare back with a much more fierce expression on his face.

"Why am I-" The question had barely escaped his lips when Sandy jerked roughly on the rope which in turn pulled Jack upwards caused the dream sand to itch and cut into his already sore wrists.

"OW! Hey! What's your problem?!" Jack snapped and the sandman whos only reply was to yank the spirit along the grassy field. His foot almost slipped, but he managed to make his way somewhat clumsily behind him as they continued to head toward their destination.

Around Jack, the area was wide and spacious and the scent of damp soil wafted through the air with the faint sweet smell of candy that Jack would have gladly found and ate because he was starting to become hungry. Flowers of many colors and species were scattered throughout the grass, happily being watered by tons of red and blue eggs.

He opened his mouth to make a comment about how weird this place was when he felt a drop of rain splatter on his face. He looked up and the sight of the cloudy, dark sky made him feel a bit more at ease because at least he wouldn't have to be burning out in the hot sun.

The grass he was treading on was soft and easy for him to step on, but that didn't make Jack feel any better as his jaw suddenly started to hurt again. It was an annoying reminder of what had happened last night; meeting the Guardians, getting told it was his destiny to be one of them, his angry rant, then getting punched and knocked out by Tooth for defending himself from Bunny. Oh, and now he was stuck with them and he was liable to stay with the group for the rest of eternity.

Yay.

His thoughts drifted once again for a way to escape, but once again, where would he go? Sure, he could try to go anywhere in the world, but the Guardians would just find him again and drag him back where he'd be a prisoner and the whole thing would have been a complete waste of time. Things were not looking up for him at all and he felt so hopeless and more alone than he had ever experienced in his new life.

Jack's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by North's familiar booming voice near a grassy hill as they approached. "Ah, Sandman! You are here after all with Jack! I was beginning to worry!" Out of the corner of his eye, Jack saw Bunny and Tooth whispering to one another. Tooth looked nervous and the pooka looked angry. The large rabbit lifted his head at North's voice and glared directly at Jack with dislike clear in his eyes.

Jack was about to glare back, when North's hand clapped his back in a friendly way, almost sending the teen on his ass. Apparently the Russian didn't know his own strength and started to speak. "That incident last night. That all water under the bridge, da? Let's start again with clean state. No violence this time."

At that point, Jack knew it was pointless to protest that he hadn't even hurt Bunny, but it wasn't like the fat man would listen to a word he said. He almost felt like laughing at how this situation was getting worse for him as time went on, at how stubborn they were all being. So he hung his head and stared sullenly at the ground before muttering." Yeah. Whatever. Where are we and why am I here?"

North motioned for Bunnymund and Tooth to come over to join him. And then he began." You are here because we need you to help us stop Pitch from destroying Easter."

He was about to ask who Pitch was when Bunny automatically replied angrily with his ears pinned to his skull, his fur on end. "We don't need his help! And why would we? He's irresponsible, selfish-"

"You don't know what I am." Jack replied in a growl and seriously wished that he had hurt him when he had the chance. If only Tooth hadn't intervened…

"Guys! Guys! Enough!" Tooth flew in between the two and pushed them apart, but not before giving Jack a glare. It was obvious she still hadn't forgiven him for making her cry last night. And he didn't forgive her for punching him in the jaw either.

He turned to look at North who was just sighing and shaking his head as if this happened on a daily basis. "Pitch is back and we need to stop him from ruining our holidays, our belief. If that happens, we'll fade away. The boogeyman is bad news and must be stopped."

Bunny started to rant about how Pitch was nothing but a bad dream and how they could defeat him with nothing but an egg, but Jack wasn't paying any attention whatsoever. He was too busy focusing on how to escape now that he had found a way; he just needed to choose his words carefully.

 _Come on, make this sound convincing. Put on a good show, and you can get away._  A voice spoke in Jack's head and it took a couple of clears of his throat to talk."I was wrong about thinking the way I was. It was stupid, and I'm sorry." Jack said as honestly as possible even though he was lying through his teeth. "I was wrong about the whole"Not wanting to be a Guardian" thing. When we get back from defeating Pitch, I'll take the oath or whatever and become one of you."

Bunny stopped in mid rant and stared at Jack suspiciously and Jack forced a smile in hopes of convincing everyone that he would help. Time seemed to tick on and on and a combination of anxiousness and impatience churned in his stomach. Would they believe his lie? He sure hoped so. If not, he was doomed to be stuck with them forever. Jack cast a quick glance around to see their expressions. Bunny still looked suspicious as ever, Tooth and Sandy both looked relieved, and North's face was unreadable.

"…..Sandy, let him go." He finally said and the rope was unwound from his wrists which Jack immediately scratched at his skin in relief that he was free. And it was going to get better. For him, at least.

His staff was tossed to him by the Russian and Jack caught it easily in his grip. Tooth flew up to him and spoke. "There should be Pitch's minions around. They're called Nightmares. All female horses, all blue and black…with creepy yellow eyes…" She shivered and he turned away to go without another word. Whatever. He didn't care at all about helping out the Guardians; all he cared about was making his escape.

"Okay! Split up and-"

Jack didn't even hear the rest of what North said and sprinted down the path furthest from the group, feet barely touching the soil as he moved onward until finally, he reached a two different pathways; one that forked left to a wide open grassy area and the right path lead to a large ruin-like place with a maze of gray, ancient looking eggs sitting on the hilltops.

He knew that he was wasting time just standing there so he took the path down where the ancient looking eggs were and tried to think of where he could go to escape, of how he could finally be free of this annoyance. Freedom was in his grasp, he could feel it.

The sky seemed to grow darker in color and he could have sworn he saw shadows dart around in the area in front of him as he ventured onwards. They seemed to come out of nowhere and Jack blinked, stopping for a moment as the shadows around him stretched and lengthened across the path under his feet.

Then he blinked again, and they had vanished.

"That was weird…"

There was a giant spacious, grassy area in front of him as he took a few more steps. It was topped with hills and ledges, more eggs appearing overhead on the ledges and edges of the lush patches of grass. But there was something off about them. They all had creepy wide grins etched on the place where a mouth usually would be found and occasionally, one would shake as if it was alive.

More of them lined the path that suddenly stopped at a large red circle shaped door that was completely covered in moss and flowers. A sense of relief came to his mind and Jack walked quickly forwards, cheering silently to himself.

He laid his staff down on the ground and then put all his weight on the door so it would open. It didn't.

A familiar panic arose in his chest and he shoved more desperately on the door, starting to tremble. Bunny had caught onto his little lie, he just knew it! Shit, oh shit! They'd be here soon, and he really didn't want to think of what would happen if they found him.

Jack soon dropped his hands dejectedly and pulled away with frustration suddenly giving way to his anxious behavior. He grabbed his staff and shook violently in a rage. A cold rage that wouldn't settle until he got out of here.

He hated the Guardians. All of them. Bunny, with his dislike for the boy. Tooth, for punching him in the jaw, North, for pushing him to become one of them and not listening to a damn word he said, and Sandy, for treating him like a prisoner.

The word repeated itself over and over in his head and Jack thought that he'd snap any minute now.

Angry blue eyes glared hatefully at the door and the ice spirit backed up until he was standing in the middle of the area, hands clutching tightly around his staff.

"So much hate, boy? Did you ever think they'd let you have a choice? That they'd understand you, give quarter? Of course they would not. The Guardians are not well known for being ones who care for other's feelings. Perhaps you need perspective. A little..push in the right direction, so to speak.." The voice came from above him and he whirled around and gazed up at the speaker with a suspicious look in his eyes and his staff raised.

And then with a small laugh, the tall figure dissipated into the shadows which started to flow toward the east.

"Hey! Wait!" Without a second thought, Jack sprinted after the smokey shadow.  
It veered and scurried around the grass and rocks like a phantom snake,  
leading Jack further into the darker parts of the Warren.

Jack paid little mind to the darkness slowly creeping over his environment. If  
anything, he welcomed it; the dark had never hurt him before, it had only  
offered him solace. The winter spirit leaped over rocks and skid across moss  
beds, his eyes straining to try and keep up with the dark shadow, until  
finally, they came to an open clearing that was partly shaded and lit with  
shafts of light from above.

Jack stopped in his trek int he center of the clearing, veering around to try  
and locate the shadow once more. But he couldn't see anything; just egg-shaped  
rocks, grass, some flowers, and a lot of green. Jack felt his shoulders sag in  
disappointment. But he refused to be fooled.

"I know you're in here!" he called, "Come on, show yourself!"

A dark, silky chuckle echoed around the clearing, sending a shudder up Jack's  
spine. Those bright and strangely beautiful eyes peered down at him from a broken statue of a broken egg and the man rested his chin on his knuckles as he gazed down intently at the other.

"I must say what an absolute _honor_  it is to meet you face to face."

The figure was quite tall and had a thin build in which his long black robe fit perfectly on his body. His hair was spiked up in the back and as black as the feathers of a raven. It blended perfectly with his skin which was as gray as the cloudy sky.

Everything about this man was dark…except for his eyes. Haunting and a piercing golden they were, staring intently at the other. The man took notice of Jack's staff and the smirk never left those ashen lips.

"Stand down. I'm not gonna' hurt you." His voice was accented with a soothing British dialect and was as soft as velvet, alluring to Jack's ears. It was a nice change from the loud booming voice of North, the preppy, annoying voice of Tooth, and the sneering voice of Bunnymund. Jack half expected the boogeyman to be some sort of ugly freak with snakes for hair. And here he was, just looking so damn hot. But Jack was still on edge as he gazed up at the other male; no attractive body or voice would make him lower his guard.

Could he trust him? After everything that had happened so far, he wasn't going to just trust anyone.

 _Listen to what he has to say. He might be the one to get you out of this_. That same voice spoke in his head and Jack eventually lowered his staff, his angry expression fading slightly into one of interest at his words. He knew the Guardians would never let him go and let him do as he wanted. He'd be stuck there…unless this mysterious person helped him out.

"There's a good boy." Lips curled into a slight grin that revealed sharp, pointed teeth that looked sharp enough to break skin. With a clear of his throat, the dark spirit continued.

"You see, I've been watching you." The grin formed into a smirk and suddenly Jack could feel himself begin to be circled by the man with his hands folded behind his back, his eyes never leaving Jack's. "So much pent up frustration. You have potential to become so much more than what the man in the moon has told you."

Jack had never thought about what good he was for. After years of isolation and loneliness so this was news to him. He listened to him and tilted his head slightly in confusion." Potential? Me?"

A quiet chuckle carried through the air and Jack could feel the smallest twinge of a shudder shoot down his spine.."Yes, you. You could bring the world to its knees if you wanted to." Bring the world to its knees? Him? Jack knew he could do some small things with snow and ice, but the thought of actually using his powers for other than pranks never crossed his mind.

The tall shadow like man was now in front of Jack who looked up at him still with the expression of curiosity on his face. This man.. he seemed so..so dark, appearance wise and from the way he spoke with such confidence. And then Jack knew who he was.

"You're Pitch Black."

"That's my name, yes." He bowed dramatically and then stood back upright, straightening his long elegant, black robe.

"I noticed you have so much resentment toward the Guardians. They have not been kind to you from what I've seen. Like you, I have my reasons to loathe their very existence."

"..Such as what?" Jack wanted to know, but the he just brushed his question off like he had something to hide…or was it something he was avoiding?

"...But let's not talk of that right now. The only reason I'm here is to talk to you. I can take you away from your pain and fear."

He needed to be careful with what he said if he wanted Jack to join him. The rumors about Frost being dim and ditzy that he'd heard were shot down immediately as he surveyed the ice spirit's every move. He was hardly stupid and was quite wary of the boogeyman.

"I can show you what you can do, what  _we_  can do. We'll recreate the world how it was meant to be. Cold and dark…" Pitch's eyes glittered and he took a step toward Jack and he matched the taller man's footsteps."...They got hand in hand, do they not?"

As Jack listened to Pitch's speech, he couldn't help but agree with the boogeyman. No one really liked either of the elements that were just parts of nature. Cold and darkness had been rejected, despised, like most things humans did not like. He'd seen the way humans shunned both and hated them for simply existing.  _  
_

Joining Pitch would be better than staying with a bunch of assholes who didn't really seem to care about him in the first place. If they did, they sure had an odd way of showing it. If Jack wasn't interested in this man's words then, he was fully paying attention now when he mentioned creating a new world in their image. And destroying the Guardians? That would be a dream come true.

Jack's eyes lit up and Pitch's smirk widened. Oh yes, he had him right where he wanted him. For a second, he allowed his eyes to roam the boy's body. He was highly attractive, unlike most mortal teenagers he'd seen with their greasy hair and oily skin. The ice spirit's skin was flawless and his hair was a pure white color that Pitch wanted to run his fingers through.

But once he was through with Jack, he wouldn't be so pure anymore. Oh no. He'd show him what he had been missing for all these years.

"You want this…" He whispered to Jack and gently placed his fingers under Jack's chin, forcing his head up to peer into those hypnotizing yellow eyes. Jack's eyes were bright and blue, innocent…but there was malice in his heart. And Pitch knew who was responsible for that.

"Yes…" The response was quiet and automatic, the boy never pulling away from the boogeyman's touch. They were such a relief to him. So much better than being punched in the jaw and hit roughly over the head. Jack inhaled slowly.

"I'm not scared of anything…just so you know." He needed to be brave and to show Pitch that he wasn't afraid to face the Guardians. He expected him to approve of Jack's statement. However, to his surprise, Pitch laughed softy.

"Oh, really now? Let's see here…" His voice was suddenly low as he pressed his mouth to Jack's ear."… You're afraid of being isolated, you're afraid that you'll wander eternity, sad and unseen by anyone."

He stared up at him, stunned by as words as he backed up few paces. "How..How did you..?"

A chuckle issued from Pitch's lips. "..It's the one thing I always know; people's fears. But fear not. For I can help you. I can get you out of this little situation, and away from this group of so called heroes...I can give you a sense of purpose, somewhere you belong."

And that's all that Jack had ever wanted; was to belong and to have someone to talk to. To have someone he could relate to. And Pitch Black was just the one to fix him. He was liking him more and more each second they had started to talk, and he seemed to be a way better match than the Guardians.

"I mean, you don't belong with the Guardians, Jack. They loathe you, I could tell by that little incident yesterday. They may not act like it, they may say they care, but their actions speak louder than words ever will. They're lairs."

He felt a familiar sting of tears in his eyes and they made sense to him; everything he had been saying all alone had made sense. He could see the Guardians for what they really were now; They were lairs and they were just going to use him to get what they wanted, like Pitch had just said, and then-

"..They're going to…toss me back out…" His voice was shaky and Jack was no longer the brave soul he'd been a few minutes earlier, once again a broken and hurt boy that needed to belong somewhere. But not with them.

Never with them.

"…Yes, that's exactly what will happen, you're gonna' go back into the miserable state you've been living in. And you don't want to be alone, you do not want to belong to a group that will reveal their true colors once all is said and done, am I correct in saying that, dear boy?"

Pitch's voice was soft with pity and looked on as Jack started to crumble before his very eyes. Genuine concern shown in his own as he folded his hands in front of him.

The teenager laughed shakily and shook his head."…No…No..I don't…I DON'T WANT TO GO BACK THERE!"

And before he realized what he was doing, Jack Frost had flung his arms around Pitch's waist and buried his face in his robe. If anyone else had done this, Pitch would have sent them sprawling backwards with a harsh slap to the face, but he wouldn't hurt Jack. Because Jack was special to him and he was going to be the best thing that ever happened in the Nightmare King's life.

The young boy half expected the boogeyman to shove him away. Whoever heard of the boogeyman being kind to someone? He even expected Pitch to get freaked out from such contact. But quite the opposite happened. Instead, he felt two long slender arms wrap themselves around his upper shoulders and just hold him against a thin chest.

"...Then..." Those golden, intense eyes burned brightly into Jack's sad and desperate looking blue ones.""We should join forces. A little alliance, if you will."

Long slender fingers trailed themselves down the wood of the staff and rested themselves comfortably ontop of Jack's head. He made up his mind that he would join the boogeyman just then, and once he made up his mind up about something, he wouldn't change it ever.

"I'm in.."

He said quietly and a look of relief crossed the man's face as he gently ran his nails down the pale cheek.

"…Sssh…ssh…Jack…I'm not going to let them hurt you. And I will not let them use you." The soft voice filled his ears and Jack believed every word, everything Pitch said. And the man meant every word he spoke.

Use…hurt…Those two words…those two ugly words ignited a spark of anger in Jack and he slowly raised his head all of a sudden."…Tooth…she…she…hurt me…"

Pitch's fingers gently traced the place where Jack's bruise had faded slightly."…..They're hypocrites, all of them. Pure and good…don't make me laugh." The ice spirit found himself being gently grabbed by the shoulders as Pitch lowered his face to his, their eyes locking.

"I wanna' get rid of them. The world will be so much better if they didn't exist." Jack's feet were starting to hurt from standing so much and he lowered himself to sit on the ground. Pitch's eyes widened in mock surprise as he joined Jack, his mouth curving upwards into a small smile.

"Get rid of them? I can't imagine the moon would enjoy that, or even allow that. Such things would break poor little children's hearts and shatter their trust and belief in such idols as North and Tooth." Pitch stood up, his right hand held outward, as though he was holding something small.

From out of the open air, a small sphere of black, grainy sand churned and flickered, like dark wisps in the night. With a firm and sudden twitch, he crushed the sphere in his palm, black sand falling at his feet, similar to snow falling to the ground. "One lie unleashes a tide of disbelief, and I've had all the disbelief I can stomach. Let's get them.." Jack stood up with his staff in hand and nodded at the other man who placed a hand on his shoulder, locking his eyes with his for a moment.

"You don't have to be alone, Jack. We don't have to be alone. And now, we are not. Not anymore." The sky grew darker at Pitch's words, but Jack took no notice and kept his eyes trained on Pitch's face and listened to his words.

We? Did that mean Pitch was just as lonely as Jack was and had felt? Jack opened his mouth to ask him, but suddenly a familiar voice thundered, "JACK FROST! WE NEVER SHOULD HAVE TRUSTED YOU!"

The boogeyman immediately pulled away, but rested his hands on Jack's shoulders, the smirk returning as a very irate Bunnymund and the rest of the Guardians followed suit. North and Sandy both looked annoyed, but quickly turned to surprise once they saw Pitch. And Tooth looked angry just as Bunny did.

"Pitch, you are here! Again!" North exclaimed as the four of them stopped in front of the two spirits.

 _"_ Always one for stating the obvious, aren't you, North?" Pitch's voice was laced with sarcasm and he rolled his eyes before speaking again." Yes, I'm back...Actually, I've always been here. You see, I've been watching young Frost ever since you lot so lovingly accepted him into your little group!"

Tooth flew boldly up to Pitch and raised a hand to strike him in the face, her green eyes narrowing. "We just want to give Jack our respect-" She started to snap, but Pitch interrupted her, chuckling as a long tendril of shadow snaked up from the ground and caused her to fly back in terror.

"Oh, yes and punching him in the face was a great way to earn his respect, was it not, Toothiana..? Just like punching me in the jaw our last encounter was a great way to end your little victory back then?" North stepped up to Pitch this time and so did Sandy. "Give Jack back." He gave Pitch a glare that didn't at all faze him.

"Oh? And why would I do that? Has he not made it clear that he does not WANT to go back?" Jack took note that a bored expression was now on Pitch's face almost as if this happened on a daily basis. Pitch pulled Jack further into his chest and flashed them all a hate filled look."Ugh, so persistent. But then, I shouldn't be surprised, really. Nothing has ever stopped you from interfering with my plans in the past."

"And we'll never give up either!" Bunnymund growled at him and raised his boomerang as if to smack Pitch."Not until you're back in that hole you call your lair!"

"So…if anything," Pitch began in a conversational tone as if Bunny had not even spoken."…Does Jack really owe you anything at all? I mean, you left him alone for three hundred years." Bunny, annoyed at being ignored, spoke up again a bit louder to be heard."Yeah, he owes us! He owes us so he can help us kick your butt all the way back to-"

"I don't owe you guys shit!" Jack spoke up angrily much to everyone but Pitch's surprise. A cold grin spread across the boogeyman's face as he heard him speak."Why the FUCK would I owe you ANYTHING?! You all treated me like shit ever since I accepted-oh wait, I mean kidnapped!" Jack shouted at them and stared at each and everyone of them with fury."North, you kept saying that it was my destiny to become a Guardian-just because the moon said so! Get it through your FUCKING skull I. Don't. Want. To. Be. With. You." North cringed at Jack's words, but managed to keep his composure from yelling. Jack turned to Tooth who was staring at him with wide eyes.

"Tooth, you're annoying and a bitch for punching me in the jaw when I was only going to defend myself." Her eyes watered at his harsh words and Jack sneered at her. "Oh, don't cry again."

He then turned to Sandy who shook his head and pointed to Tooth, then pounded his fiat into the palm of his hand. Jack just laughed at him."Oh, you're gonna' hit me like she did? Guess it runs in the group, huh? By the way, you need to stop taking LSD, makes me think you're a stoner." Sandy just glared and folded his arms.

Last but not least, Bunny. Oh, yes, Bunny. Jack turned to Bunnymund with a look of pure, uttermost hate. "You despised me ever since we met. And I didn't do anything to do you." His voice was cold and low as he regarded the large pooka."….I'm sorry I never got the chance to hurt you."

They were all glaring at Jack right then and he returned the glare just as intense as they did. While all this was going on,

Pitch was thoroughly enjoying himself in watching the Guardians get riled up by Jack's anger. He could watch for hours just to see the looks on their faces, oh, how wonderful it was to make them angry! But as much fun as it was to set the miserable little group off, they had plans to make for the Guardian's downfall.

"Well, if we're done here. And believe me, we are…"Pitch said smoothly and shadows started to form around the pair.

"…Jack and I have some planning to do."

Jack scoffed as he felt Pitch's grip on his shoulders tighten a bit more. There was nothing any of them could do to get him back.

Jack and Pitch: 1

The Guardians: 0


	5. Welcome to the shadows

The weakening eye of day was steadily growing smaller as nightfall came. Long, twisted shadows stretched and lengthened across the forest floor like a large dark blanket that draped over the trees and the undergrowth.

Near a row of trees, the darkness rose and twisted into the form of the boogeyman and his new partner. Pitch relished his hand from Jack's shoulder and the boy looked around the forest with a sense of calm and solace. The darkness was strangely comforting to Jack and he knew why he felt like this. It was because of Pitch Black who had shown him kindness, who had said he would help him, give him a new sense of being…

He was so completely focused on staring around at the darkened forest that he hadn't noticed Pitch had started to walk down the path with his hands folded behind his back.

"Come, Jack. My lair isn't too far away from here."

He walked after him and used his staff to hike as if that would help him catch up with the taller man. The teenager continued to be simply mystified by the shadows and darkness around him with a small grin and a shine in his bright blue eyes. The darkness itself was a thing of beauty, washing over Jack again and again, easing his troubled mind, and ultimately taking him away from the Guardians forever. He felt like he could stare into the dark and never stop.

The Nightmare King caught Jack's awestruck expression out of the corner of his eye and his lips curved into a small half smile down at the silent, but happy boy. Seeing anyone happy and cheerful usually made Pitch sick to his stomach, but Jack was an entirely different story. Because he cared about him and wanted to keep him safe from anyone or anything who might harm him. Anyone who thought he was just using Jack for his own personal gain was merely misguided in their thoughts. His arm slowly slid back around Jack's shoulders in a friendly, comfortable gesture.

"Enjoying yourself?"

The contact of Pitch's arm around Jack made him turn his head upwards to nod and give the boogeyman a small smile. "Yeah, I am. I just don't understand somethin' though." Those bright blue eyes locked onto his bright yellow ones and Pitch could have sworn he could get lost in the teen's deep, almost innocent look. He wondered how running his fingers through Jack's hair would feel, but that's all he planned to do, he didn't want to do something he'd regret that would scare Jack… And so he reached down and ran his long slender fingers slowly through his soft snowy strands of white, letting out a soft sigh while Jack leaned into his side.

"What don't you understand?" Pitch was giving the boy his undivided attention now as their bodies pressed up against one another lightly. He was just glad he wasn't making him feel uncomfortable and was thankful that Jack hadn't pulled away from his touch.

He took a deep breath and leaned into Pitch's hand more to get more of his fingers in his hair. "Well, why do the Guardians hate the darkness? It's not even bad."

"It's not so much that they loathe the darkness, but they want to rid the world of fear." His fingers removed themselves from Jack's head and Pitch dropped his hand back down to his side, continuing to explain.

"You see, they think fear is something horrible. Something that causes everyone everlasting misery and suffering. Isn't that ridiculous?"

A couple of ravens cawed from the trees in an almost agreement with the boogeyman's speech and Pitch turned to grin up at them for a second, before turning his head to look back at Jack who was listening silently as they neared the top of a broken mattress supported by two old and rusted looking wooden beams.

"Think of it like this. If the world ceased to have fear, ceased to be afraid of anyone and anything, we'd have stupidity run rampant through the Earth and people would do as they wanted. Does that make sense?"

Pitch looked toward Jack and noticed that he remained quiet throughout the conversation and he wasn't looking anywhere else but at him. Good. He wasn't like most teenagers today; loud, annoying…he knew that most other teens would be listening to him in disinterest like if they were in class and being taught by the teacher. Here he had a boy was respectful and actually listened to what he had to say. And Pitch liked that.

"…Yes, it…it all makes sense!" Jack's shout broke through the silence all of a sudden and the ravens scattered from the trees and up into the sky, cawing loudly. The ice spirit gripped his staff tighter and spoke with a excited tone."We need fear to keep em' in line! It's like you said, if the world didn't have fear and people just acted brave all the time, then they'd get themselves killed!"

And at that moment, Pitch felt relieved that he finally found someone who agreed with his ways/ After centuries of being hated for who and what he was, he'd found someone who saw things from his perspective. His smile formed into a cold grin and he gripped Jack's shoulder in his hand again. Yes, the ice spirit would be useful to him in achieving his goal which he was confident about.

"Such a smart boy you are." He let out a soft chuckle and Jack relaxed into his hand. "You've got a good head on your shoulders unlike some of the other blithering idiots I've come across." Jack stared up at him with a happy smile at his words. His heart soared; Pitch thought that he was smart! He was pretty sure that if he had stayed with the Guardians, they'd eventually start throwing insults his way and make him feel like shit if he messed up somehow.

He watched Pitch about to enter the hole under the bed and walked after him with a curious look.

"Thank you, Pitch. But..uh, hey..I was wondering… what do I call you?"

The boogeyman halted in his tracks and then turned to Jack with an arched eyebrow. Pitch wasn't smiling anymore, but fixed Jack with a small look of confusion.

"Beg pardon?"

Jack all of a sudden felt a sense of nervousness well up in his stomach, and he had no idea why. He had no reason to fear Pitch, no reason at all. It wasn't like he had said anything that might get him in trouble. With a stutter in his voice, Jack then shakily replied.

"..I-I..I dunno'..I just thought I should call you somethin'..like…master…"

Pitch was kneeling in front of the boy in a second, taking both of the boy's icy hands in his as he looked him directly in the eyes with a gaze so intense, he couldn't bring himself to look away. Time seemed to stand still as they both stared at each other. Then Pitch spoke in a soft, but firm tone.

"You needn't address me as such, dear boy. We are equals, are we not? Even though I'm the nightmare king, I don't see myself above you. And why would I?" He brought his lips close to Jack's ear in a whisper.

"You and I are alike. And I see nothing in you that would make me think otherwise."

The last time Pitch had been this close to Jack was not that long ago, and Jack didn't pull away, then, and he didn't pull away now. But having the boogeyman's mouth so close to his ear and that British accent…damn, it..it was doing things to him that he couldn't even explain…His mind drifted to Pitch's answer to his question. Relief spread through his body and he inhaled slowly. So he saw them as equals, as partners. They were one in the same.

With a soft laugh, Pitch stood back up and disappeared into the hole under the bed and left Jack standing there with a small smile on his face. A second later, Jack found himself inside the entrance to the boogeyman's lair and was staring at the dimly lit torches on

either side of the ancient, but stable staircase that was a faded yellow color. He wasted no time in sprinting down it and didn't stop until the stairs emptied out into a wide area that completely took his breath away.

Long elegant black staircases spread across the large black as night ceiling, the far off walls off in the distance, and his gaze stayed trained on them for a few seconds before he directed his attention to a small group of floating lights that floated lazily through the air. He heard the sound of a rushing waterfall from far off in the room and saw more of the same dimly lit blue hue near where the water was coming from.

He walked under large black Gothic archways which never seemed to end until he reached platforms that formed a bridge from above.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Pitch's voice came from behind Jack and he turned to face the Nightmare King with a look of pure awe."….Yeah. I've..I've never seen anything like it before."

Pitch smiled and pulled Jack to him so the teen was in on his left side."Let me show you where you'll be staying."

Jack walked with Pitch through one of the many hallsways that were set up like dorm rooms. Each door he came across was black with a golden doorknob and had a small number engraved on the handle. "Choose whichever of these rooms you'd like, Frost. They're all nice and spotless, so you don't have to worry about them being dirty." He saw a shudder go through Pitch's body at the mention of filth.

"I do hope I don't have to remind you to clean up after yourself." Jack heard him say as he stopped at one of the rooms, Room number thirteen, and shook his head.

"Nah, you don't. I'll be sure to take good care of whatever I may mess up." Pitch nodded in approval at Jack before the ice spirit entered his new room. The room was black as could be as to be expected and the only window it had was near the headboard of the bed. Jack carefully placed his staff against the wall and then stood up on the bed to shut the satin curtains that were on either side of the window panes. The springs creaked as Jack leapt down on the floor and landed on one knee. Then he grabbed his staff and went out of the room after giving the room one last glance.

Yes, he'd like it here just fine.

Upon walking once more, Jack would hear incoherent whispers and breathing near his ear, and he'd turn to look to see what was there, but then he'd see nothing. Yellow eyes and wide hungry grins appeared on the far right from where he was. Pitch narrowed his eyes and shot a glare at the hungry looking creatures and just as they came, they backed off into the darkness without a trace.

"What the hell were those things?" Jack scooted closer to Pitch and the man pulled him further to his body protectively, his nails digging slightly into the shoulder of Jack's hoodie.

"Fearlings. Some are well behaved, others are cheeky little buggers that will try to attack you any chance they get." Pitch spoke in a quiet voice as they entered into the next room. "But they will not hurt you, not unless they wish to be hurt."

The next room was large and spacious and had large cracks on the walls and ceiling, moonlight beaming down and bathing the floor in its beauty. A large globe, much like the one that the Guardians had, had been placed in the center of the room. The areas where the land was gold and the place where the oceans and rivers were completely black. Nearly all the lights on the globe were still lit and Pitch narrowed his eyes and growled lowly, pulling Jack closer to him.

"They're all going to go out…with your help, boy. We'll show those Guardians what we can do."

He pulled the boy to the front of the globe and faced the darkness that lay beyond.

"Come out and say hello to our newest member!"

At Pitch's call, what seemed like a thousand or so yellow eyes of all different shapes and sizes blinked out at Jack, and then their owners melted out in the low light.

There were thousands of them. Fearlings. Cats, rats, wolves, bats, There were even two long whip like shapes in the back that Jack could see were giant snakes made of shadows. Loud whinnies sounded off in the distance and twelve or thirteen huge blue and black mares came galloping out of the walls and stood at attention.

All of the creatures had their eyes on Jack and the boy's face paled at their gazes. His fear was evident and the boogeyman scooped the ice spirit into his arms, giving them all a sharp look.

"Jack is apart of our family now. And he is NOT to be harmed. He is to be treated with respect and anyone of you that does not abide by these rules will have to answer to me/" Pitch spoke in a low, serious voice that echoed throughout the room. It made the hair on the back of Jack's neck stand up, but he was glad because Pitch was setting some boundaries and at least he'd be safe.

"Do I make myself clear?"

A second had gone by and suddenly writhing mass of black and blue broke away from the Fearlings and staggered at a fast pace toward Jack, its mouth opening in a loud screech.

Jack could only watch in absolute terror as the thing continued to charge at him and Pitch. The boogeyman instantly whipped out a small red bag from the inside of his robe and yanked the string around the closing of it, then shook the contents of the bag out at the mass of snarling shadows.

A shower of golden dream sand rained down on the thing's skin and it let out an unearthly screech as its skin was burned away by the light and sand. Its screams of agony died soon down to whimpers and then it was reduced to nothing but a mere clump of nightmare sand.

While all this was happening, Jack had curled up in a little trembling ball against Pitch with his head buried into his shoulder and as soon as the crazed Fearling had been killed, Jack lifted his head up to look at Pitch who looked distraught and incredibly concerned as he ran his fingers through the boy's hair in hopes of calming the teen down.

He put the bag back in his robe after closing it back up and gave all the rest of his family a cold look ."Let that be a lesson to you all. Now leave us."

Murmurs and whispers ran through the crowd as the creatures vanished back into the darkness from whence they came. As soon as they were gone, Jack coughed quietly and he swallowed while gripping Pitch's robe in his fingers.

"…Jack, I apologize." Pitch said softy after a few minutes of silence and Jack clung tighter to his robe, still clearly freaked out though his shaking had ceased. For the first time ever, Pitch had felt horrible about giving someone such a fright. And he wanted to ease Jack's fear. "Usually they're so well behaved. But know this, if anything else like this happens ever again, I will protect you."

"…I know. I know you would. And..and I'd do the same for you." Jack's voice came out small and shaky. He knew that he didn't know enough about fighting or defending himself yet, but he knew he could be taught these things. And for Pitch, he'd gladly get hurt to protect him.

If Pitch could hear Jack's thoughts, he would have been horrified at the thought of this precious boy in front of him getting hurt for his sake. He couldn't allow Jack to be brave at a time like that, no way would he ever. But he liked the thought that Jack cared about him enough to say that; that alone was comforting in itself.

He placed the boy down back on his feet and then stepped back a couple paces to give him some space. They both started back down the hall back toward Jack's room, when Jack suddenly spoke up.

"Can we go spread fear now? Huh? Huh? Can we? I wanna' see how this nightmare shit goes down!" Jack's eyes shown brightly and he had that innocent gleam within. Pitch eyed the boy in amusement and watched as he bounced from foot to foot, gone from scared to hyperactive in an instant. It was as a switch had been flicked inside Jack's brain.

"Your enthusiasm is appreciated. Of course we can."

He slowly released Jack, and led him back through the tunnels, towards the globe. The nightmare sand around his feet lapped up and climbed slowly around the globe. Fearlings grew around it, more and more joining each moment.

Jack smiled cheerfully and gazed at the globe, the small dots of lights scattered everywhere reflecting in his eyes. The presence of the darkness and Pitch...suddenly comforted him; set his mind at ease. He was safe, and nothing would hurt him."The darkness..it's so beautiful-" Jack whispered.

"It is. It's my home. It's kept me company for so long." He clicked suddenly, and a large blue and black horse came galloping over." Jack, this is Onyx. She's the most obedient out of all of my creatures. Don't be scared, she won't hurt you."

Jack looked up at the tall horse and slowly reached up, gently running his hand along her lower jaw. She nickered softy and stared at Jack unblinkingly while he continued to pet her soft pelt which felt smooth and soft." She's beautiful."

"That she is." Pitch jumped up onto the equine's back, with ease. He beckoned Jack who clambered onto her, climbing up with... slightly less grace. Pitch snorted at Jack's attempts, whispering "practice makes perfect" softly in his ear.

"Hold onto me, Jack. Tonight, we begin, together!" The fearlings looked up, stopping their jittery movements and screams, watching their master intently. "Tonight is the start, my fearlings. The dreams will be ours. There'll be nothing left, except fear and darkness. Now go!"

The fearlings flew out of the tunnels surrounding the globe, the golden lights already beginning to flicker softly. One by one, they started to go out. Pitch laughed softly. He whispered in his favorite mare's ear, turned to Jack and smiled quickly, then they shot into the night.

The night air blew across Jack's face as he clung tightly onto Pitch, at first too afraid to open his eyes to see where they were. But then he relaxed and his eyes fluttered open and widened at the sight of the town below. Jack continued to cling to Pitch and let out a small, happy laugh. The wind seemed to beckon to him, and he wanted to fly in it, by he wasn't prepared yet.

Pitch could feel the frost spirit behind him tensing, and slowly relaxing as they flew through the sky. The wind was whipping around them, almost teasing Jack, though he stayed holding onto Pitch. Pitch heard Jack laugh, sweetly, innocently, and gave a smile of his own. They flew over Burgess Pond, into the village which was quietly sleeping.

The Sandman's dreams hadn't reached this desolate town yet, not as fun for Pitch, but it meant that the guardian couldn't change them back. Onyx came to a stop in front of the town statue, and Pitch hopped down, extending his arm to Jack. The boogeyman clicked his tongue at Onyx and she was gone in a rush of sand and shadows, disappearing back toward Pitch's lair.

Meanwhile, Jack was looking around when Pitch held out his arm for him to take.

"A whole town, Jack. Where should we start?"

Jack took his arm and pursed his lips in thought, drumming his fingertips on his staff and landed gracefully on the pavement next to Pitch. They could start anywhere they wanted. He tapped his staff on the ground and gazed around in wonder at all the houses."...I dunno'. It's gonna' be pretty hard to pick..." Suddenly, his eyes lit up and he spotted a house with a bunch of kid's toys scattered on the front lawn."...How bout' there? Children scare easy, yeah?"

Pitch smiled at the contact. "A wonderful choice. Children are the easiest to scare, and they give out the sweetest fear too. Come." Together, they walked to the edge of the lawn, finding the part with the most shadow. Pitch took Jack's hand, and slid into the shadows with him, emerging again in the child's room. The pair stepped out, Pitch letting his hand linger on Jack's a moment longer, before walking to the child's bedside drawer, and picking up a photo frame. "It has siblings, what luck!"

He beckoned Jack over to the child's bed, nightmare sand appearing in the hand that previously held Jack's. It took on a navy color, not the usual black. "Look at the child, Jack. Hair in plaits, braces, clean hands. The medals on the wall, the A grade cards, the photos of her family. What would this darling child's fear be?"

A wide grin came to Jack's face and he clutched at Pitch's hand tightly to keep the nightmare sand from spilling out onto the floor. He inhaled slightly as he thought about what her fear could be."...Failure?" He guessed. "That, or she's afraid of getting dirty."

Pitch laughed, "You're a natural, Jack. I'll take you out more often, I think", he smiled. The nightmare sand danced and spun faster, quickly forming what looked like crumpled paper and broken pencils. Pitch extended his hand to Jack. "Blow.." he commanded softly, staring into the smiling blue orbs.

Jack smiled at the compliment and then blew gently on the sand, sending it out in a small stream toward the sleeping girl. With a small laugh, he leaned back and watched to see what would happen, his eyes glittering in interest.

Pitch sensed Jack's movement towards him and leaned slightly more towards the boy. He quickly stole a glance at him, and saw his eyes widen and shine. Pitch smiled when the sleeping child whined softly and curled more into a ball; so defenseless. The sleeping child began breathing faster, her peaceful slumber broken by the swirling sand above her head. She began shivering-cared and cold. It was beautiful. Pitch could feel her fear rising, he felt stronger every moment watching her. He remembered the girl's sibling: Even though they were older, the fear would still be marvelous. The pair left the child, tossing and turning, moaning and shivering, and went to discover the sibling.

Jack smiled and ran his fingers through his snow white hair as he walked with Pitch to go give the other child a nightmare. As he listened to the girl whimper and toss in her sleep, he couldn't help but feel gleeful-a dark happiness that settled within his body."...I feel happy.." Jack said slowly." I think I like this job."

Pitch smiled. He placed his hand in the small of Jack's back, feeling the cool pulsate through his lower arm. They entered the sibling's room - A teenage boy, he couldn't have been older than Jack when he was a human. The credits of a horror film were rolling, the sound turned down so all that could be heard were the boy's loud snores. A few cans of beer were by the boy's feet, his body flayed on the sofa in front.

"Aah, the wonders of modern technology. You see, some children actually /like/ fear, which not only means I can find them more easily, but I can have more fun extracting their fears, by combining what they watched with their own fears. Isn't it brilliant? I can tell you that the film he watched involved blood and the loss of certain limbs. Now, do the same as with the girl: Take a look around the room and tell me what you see. Shall we start with his trophy cabinet?"

Jack stared transfixed at the strange box with the moving pictures for a second, and then moved toward the collection of empty beer cans with distaste. The small of alcohol made him want to vomit and then went back to the trophy cabinet, inspecting it thoroughly. "He likes beer and scary films. And wait, some like to be scared..?" Jack blinked and looked back at Pitch.

Pitch could feel slight nausea rising in Jack, and looked down to answer him. "It might be idiotic, but it's somewhat helpful. Though I did feel slightly redundant when I discovered what they were. I just thought my fearlings were growing faster and stronger but no, some children enjoy seeing people being mutilated, it seems. But who am I to complain? I don't have to sit through the rubbish, I just reap the goods, so to speak." He paused, and surveyed the room. "Well, it seems our young man here has nothing better to do, than drink and watch rubbish. Judging by the trophies he holds, and the technology in his room, he's a rugby player, perhaps on a scholarship? Does he deny his fear of injury by watching other people suffer it? This could be an interesting one..."

Jack found himself leaning slightly against Pitch in thought as he pondered his words,"I think he's in denial, like you said. I mean, why else would he like watching such graphic content?" He looked at the sleeping boy, then gripped tightly onto his staff. "Let's see what happens."

The air changed slightly as Jack gripped his staff harder. Pitch started, softly: "Sleep paralysis occurs when the sleeper is in a state between conciousness and uncounsiousness. It's often accompanied by vivid dreams, most that are usually nightmares. Normally I'd let you have some practice first, but... I want you to think of ice enclosing him, bonds forming at his wrists and ankles." Pitch held his hand up again to prepare the nightmare sand, twisting violently. He held his hand to Jack, "The same again?"

Jack watched the sand twist violently in Pitch's hand and lowered his face, blowing on it gently once again toward the sleeping teenage boy, watching as the streams blew against his skin lightly. Wait, what had Pitch said? Imagine ice snapping around his ankles? Could he even do that?

Pitch took a step back and waited for Jack to follow. Except, he stayed, staring at the boy in front of him. Jack seemed apprehensive. Pitch sighed softly. Maybe he did expect too much of the boy. Was it really wise to take him straight out right away? Whatever happens tonight, he thought, would be practice for the future, and a firm place to start. He leaned closer to Jack, pulling him backwards, softly. "It's for the best, Jack. If the boy doesn't keep his fear in check, whatever could happen to him if he becomes fearless?"

" He would get himself killed like a dumbass…I..." Jack didn't pull away from Pitch's hand, but looked over at the sleeping boy once again. He wanted to prove to Pitch that he could do it, could spread fear. He was scared of messing up, though, and decided to go with the boogeyman again. But in a way, he felt like he had failed him somehow. Jack bit his lip and looked down."...Sorry...I just..I don't know why I hesitated.." He mumbled.

In the shadows, time seemed to stop forever. Pitch knelt down, having seen mothers do it to children when they were crying, and smiled at the boy. "Jack, your trust in me and willingness to join me has been the best thing that's happened to me in thousands of years. It's not just fear, I can sense, remember - You feel that you failed me, and you think you've disappointed me. You hesitated because you're unsure. This whole world is new to you, you haven't even had the chance to prove yourself yet. And that's okay." He paused, weighing up his options. "Tell you what, why don't we let a fearling devour the children and we go back home? You saw how dark the walls of the lair were, just begging for some ice, begging for your presence. After all, what goes together better than dark and cold?"

He stared up into Pitch's haunting eyes that seemed so warm and inviting at least to him they did. Pitch didn't push him like the Guardians had, he hadn't been rude to him at all, and though his lair was dark and filled with creatures Jack wouldn't want to run into alone, he knew it was only a matter of time before he would get used to living in this new and beautifully dark environment. The shadows and darkness seemed frightening at first, but they honestly weren't. The darkness was just so wonderful and perfect and Jack loved it, he accepted it fully with open arms. But cold and darkness together..?

"Nothing." He whispered and Pitch's smile turned into a smirk as a small ball of shadows tumbled through the open window with a small mew. Jack turned to see two small pupils yellow eyes stare up at him as the small Fearling kitten pawed at his leg. Its mew was disoriented and at a low pitch; it seemed almost too cute to be in darkness.

"Go on, little kitty. You know what to do." Pitch gave it a kind smile and the kitten let out a low purr before jumping up on the bed of the teenage boy.

Pitch and Jack disappeared from the house in a burst of shadow and were a good distance away from the house when the screaming began.

Back at the lair, Pitch was observing the all the lights going out with Jack who he thought was paying attention to the lights going out. But the young spirit's mind was on something that Pitch had said that bothered him greatly.

"Jack, your trust in me and willingness to join me has been the best thing that's happened to me in thousands of years…"

So he had been alone for that long?! Jack's heart shattered at the thought of Pitch alone with no one to talk to; shunned just because of what he was, what he had been created to do.

The boogeyman turned to face Jack, about to open his mouth to celebrate their wonderful victory for a first night out with his new accomplice, when he felt himself being tightly hugged by Jack who buried his face in his waist/

"I'm sorry..I'm sorry you've been alone for so long…"

Pitch embraced the boy against him and smiled a little bit sadly."It's okay, Jack. I'm not as alone now that you're here. You're going to stay with me forever."

Forever was a long time, but that didn't bother Jack in the slightest as he slowly looked up at him with a smile, then a questioning look. "Why are you so alone anyways? I mean, I know the Guardians have somethin' to do with it, yeah?"

Jack deserved to know about Pitch's past; there would be no secrets he would keep from him.

A deep frown crossed the boogeyman's mouth and he held Jack's hand tightly in his."….I have something tell you..or rather why not show you?"

In a flash of shadows, they had appeared in the center of the town of Burgess where children were running around and adults were quietly conversing with each other.

Pitch glared at all of them and then started to speak to Jack.

"Way back, back before you were ever born, back before those troublesome Guardians ever came to be…I reigned supreme. But oh no, not just here." His eyes and voice took on a much darker tone, his voice low and menacing as he gestured towards the sky. "I crushed constellations, I actually made entire planets tremble just by the sound of my name." A deep laugh issued from his lips.

"It was wonderful, seeing everyone cower before my wrath, my power." At this, he created a long blue and black shimmering strand of nightmare sand and let it slip slip through his fingers. "I mean, at first I did not know what to do with my power, you could say I was a bit frightened of it. But then, the fearlings showed me the light, if you will. They showed me what I could do. And I cherished every bloody moment."

Jack found himself being wrapped up in Pitch's robe as the man was suddenly very close to him, gripping the boy's sides tightly. And just as close as he had become, he suddenly stepped back and continued on. "I decided to continue my little conquest to Earth and as soon as I did, I found the culture strange, the humans weird, but there was something that always remained constant; fear."

"Such power I wielded back then. Everyone was miserable, frightened. Such happy times for me." Pitch's eyes became distant as if recalling a fond memory which for Jack he was sure it had been.

"..But then the Guardians came along and everyone just wrote me off as another myth. "The boogeyman doesn't exist! He's just another bad dream!" They were and STILL loved by all while I'm hiding under beds. I WILL rise again and there shall be a new era of darkness..."

He spat in disgust and folded his arms across his chest. "Oh believe me, dear boy, I had tried everything to crush the Guardians and maybe regain little hint what I used to be. But no, ALL my plans failed! Everything seemed hopeless for me…but!"

Jack was once again pulled close to Pitch who looked like he was about to waltz with the other. "…You showed up. You've made me feel complete again." He lowered his voice and stared deeply into Jack's eyes and the ice spirit's heart pounded in his chest. A blush heated his cheeks and he swallowed slowly.

At that moment, a child ran through the both of them and they both shivered slightly. Now Jack understood Pitch's pain and what he had to go through. All those years of being isolated from everyone and having what was rightfully his stolen…Jack would help him reclaim what was his.

Pitch's voice lowered and he stared at Jack intently.

"…I feel your pain, Jack. I know what it's like not to be believed in for so long. But we'll make them believe. In us. We'll give them a world where everything, everything is..."

"...Pitch Black?"

"...And Jack Frost, too.."

Jack had been so busy with everything that had happened, that he hadn't even given any thought about his memories. He'd find out eventually, he suspected. Hell, he had all of eternity to. And with that, he fell asleep instantly in a bad that he hadn't slept in since...he didn't remember. But that didn't matter now. All that mattered was he now had a place where he belonged.


	6. I could corrupt you, it would be easy-

Pitch had finally gotten what he had wanted all along;Jack. The man in the moon, had told him there was no way, but he had proven him wrong. Pitch found a pleasantness, about not being alone. He now had something to replace the empty space in his black heart.

Having the boy with him was such a relief for him to finally have someone that could and did save him from centuries of loneliness that constantly had plagued his mind. He thought no one would have understood him, he thought he was alone. And for centuries, he was.

After his reign in the Dark Ages was brought to an end, The Man in the Moon had sealed Pitch up in an old war bunker deep in the forest that he would suffer eternally there until he died. But Pitch would always come back and try again to crush them only to be thwarted by the damn Guardians who made sure he was beaten, bruised, bleeding, left to nearly be killed by his own fears time and time again. Instead of becoming depressed, he'd spat in their smug faces and had told them he would rise again to power and take back once was rightfully his.

But he needed help, but such was hard to come by when almost all his Nightmares and Fearlings were slain by the dreaded light that Sandy wielded. But the boogeyman knew the young spirit. could stand up to the Sandman just as he could hold his own against them all Pitch was confident that he could defeat the Guardians with Jack by his side and he knew he WOULD. And once that happened, they both would bring the world to its knees. And he'd give the boy something he himself had been longing for after all these years of solitude: solace.

The teen gasped and he bolted up into a sitting position in bed, inhaling and exhaling rapidly and was trying his hardest to calm down and not hyperventilate. Raising his shaking fingers to his head, his breathing grew heavier and he felt like he would choke as tears came to his eyes. There was a horrible, deep pain in his chest and he tucked his knees up to his chest while he clenched his eyes shut.

Jack felt a painful lump swell in his throat. What was he doing? He couldn't do this! He was just going to screw things up. Pitch had already put so much faith in him - not to mention more time than anyone else he's run across. Jack was only going to disappoint him.

Hell, he already had! He had hesitated during their first Nightmare run, and even now he still felt the crushing weight of self-loathing pressing painfully into his body.

Pitch didn't need someone like him; someone who was too hesitant, too meek, too reckless. He couldn't give the Nightmare King what he needed was to knock those wretched Guardians down a few pegs. But even when he tried to do something right, he only ever ended up making a mess. None of those damned Guardians had asked him what he thought, what he wanted, what he was feeling, NOTHING.

No one seemed to care for him.

…Except Pitch Black.

And he was going to fail him.

 _You know, I don't know why Pitch chose you of all people to join him! You can't even assist him properly without screwing up!_ Sneered an ugly voice in his mind and Jack shook his head violently at his own thoughts. "Y-You're wrong, he…he chose me b _ecause I-I had potential…"_

_Oh, you mean like that time last night when you hesitated? That's not what I'd call potential, that's called being a coward! Look at you, Jack! You're so weak that you can't even help the one who's been so kind to you?! Not only that, but you'd be completely USELESS in a fight against the Guardians! What good are you?!_

"Shut the hell up! I-I'm not listening to you! Pitch said t-that was okay if I was scared!" The voice faded and Jack started rocking back and fourth and tried not to cry while his body shook like a leaf about to get blown away by the wind.

"P-Pitch!" His voice came out shaky and cracked, like he was about to burst into tears at any moment. "Can..can you come here…?"

The shadows parted in the dark corner of his room and the familiar silhouette of the tall, thin man came into view. He approached Jack instantly and was on the bed next to him in seconds/ Pitch's eyes peered intently down at the young man, worry within them.

"…Jack…Jack…what happened? What's wrong?!"

Strangled gasps came from the young man's throat and he let the tears run freely down his face before burying his face deep in Pitch's robe. He wrapped his arms comfortingly around Jack and rested his chin on the top of his head, rubbing soothing circles on his back. It was important that he knew what had brought on this behavior, but waiting until he calmed down would be best.

He felt his skinny figure shake against his much taller frame and long fingers gently ran themselves through the pretty snow white hair in attempt to calm him down. He was starting to worry that he had said or did something to cause the boy to be this upset, and he thought long and hard about everything that had happened between them so far. Nothing came to mind.

The only sounds in the room were Jack's muffled sobs and heavy breathing as he tried to help himself return back to normal. Eventually, his harsh breaths did cease and he brought his face up to look Pitch in the eyes. He was calm, but the deep hurt was still inside, eating him alive.

"I'm not good enough…" Jack whispered and averted his eyes. "I'm a fuckin' screw up…"

A moment of silence followed after what Jack had said, and he shook his head slowly, cupping Jack's chin. "Jack, look at me…" The other slowly turned his head, let out a small shaky breath, and raised his eyes to Pitch in a small, dejected way that broke the dark man's heart.

"There is nothing wrong with you." His voice was soft and clear, with a note of firmness in it, "You're fantastic, not a screw up." He had hoped his words would provide the boy with some encouragement, but they fell on deaf ears.

"..I'm weak…"

Those two soft spoken words were all what Pitch needed to understand why Jack was acting like this.

Failure. Jack was afraid, terrified, of failing and disappointing others, specifically Pitch himself. Pitch had figured his years of solitude and bitterness had left his confidence and self-assurance withered, but he never thought it would be this depleted. Looking at the frost sprite now, dejected and falling into depression, Pitch could swear he felt like he was looking in a mirror. It seemed like ages, but even he had fallen into a pit of despair once. But that was literal ages ago, and time hardens one's heart, and forces one to push and shove their resolve away. Jack, however, was but a mere 300 years old. He was a mere child compared to most spirits, and therefore was still fragile.

Pitch had to harden himself all on his own during his immortal life. He had no one to turn to for help, for reassurance or comfort. The lack of compassion had turned his heart to stone, and bitter anger and resentment had planted itself within his body. Outwardly, he could be mistaken for a human at first glance. But Pitch was well aware that inside his anger and loneliness had made him a monster.

He could care less about others, all except the sad, broken boy in front of him. But he would raise his confidence up again so Jack would have a better self image of himself.

"Never. Ever," He gripped Jack's chin roughly and his voice became more firm.

"..Assume you are a burden or useless to I or others. You are anything but a 'screw-up'. If anything, you have far more potential than you think. Yes, some mistakes were made in the past, but that does not mean you're someone to be looked down upon. We learn from mistakes, I should know. I have had my fair share of slip-ups and mistakes. One of them being my carelessness with you and the one Fearling that got off hand."

It took a moment for Jack to process what Pitch had said and once he was finished, he was stunned into complete silence. The Nightmare King's belief in him was astounding and it filled his heart with a warm, comforted feeling to know that he wasn't a failure or worthless, that he meant something to the boogeyman.

"I-" His voice was cut off as Pitch wasn't done speaking.

"Believe me, Jack, and listen carefully. You are not going to disappoint me. And even on the off chance you did, I'm not just going to blow up on you or throw you out."

Not a screw up...not a mistake...Pitch honestly believed he wasn't some kind of trouble making menace. But its nearly impossible to fully comprehend; everyone else, both spirit and human, have said his actions and powers were good for nothing and that he was a nuisance And yet, here Pitch was, the Boogeyman, saying it wasn't true...

"How can I believe you...?"

A long sigh escaped Pitch and he gestured to himself with an outstretched hand." Jack, if anyone is a menace to society, it's me. I'm the BOOGEYMAN. I spread nightmares, I cause fear, I rain down shadows and darkness and misery. Yet, do you think I'm something that needs to be locked up? Forgotten? Perhaps hated by all?"

The Nightmare King's words slowly sunk into the frost sprite's mind, and suddenly things made more sense. It was still fuzzy, and he still couldn't fully comprehend Pitch's confidence in him, but it made sense to Jack.

He shook his head quickly at Pitch's question and bit his lip." No...no, you're the last person who deserves that! You're not evil, or bad, or any of that. you're just...well, YOU. You're you..."

The man rose up from the bed and straightened his robe out before speaking again while folding his hands behind his back.

"And you're you. You're Jack Frost. A wild spirit, yes, but not a mistake or someone deserving of isolation or harsh treatment. So the next time you ever have these thoughts, just t remember what I've told you. Can you do that for me?"

Now Jack was determined to not to let that his negative thoughts deter him from being the very best he could possible be. And he'd be sure not to be himself down anymore, because Pitch had helped him realize that he was worth something after all.

"Yes, I will." A small smile broke across his face and the boogeyman returned it warmly.

"Good boy."

Falling back asleep was easy now that Jack had been comforted by Pitch and soon he woke back up, feeling refreshed as he took a shower in the bathroom he discovered was just behind a door that he found to the far right in his room. After drying off and getting dressed, Jack found a small fridge in a hole in the wall and opened it to discover a turkey sandwich that he ate heartily.

Placing his staff across the back of his shoulder, Jack walked out of the door to his room and out into the long hallway. He hadn't even taken a step when Pitch's shadow moved across the wall and he came into his line of view with his hands caging around something that emitted angry twitters. He was instantly reminded of Tooth and her loud, annoying voice and gritted his teeth together.

"Ah, Jack. There you are." The twitters faded into soft squeaks of pain as he squeezed his hands together. Once he was sure he wouldn't be interrupted, Pitch approached him and smirked." I have a gift for you."

He slowly opened his hands up and a small fairy lay weakly in his hand. She somewhat resembled Tooth in a way; she had the qualities of a hummingbird, her coat flashes of turquoise, teal and purple feathers, and a long pointed black beak that had a small mouth underneath.

Her translucent wings fluttered slightly and Pitch spoke.

"This, Jack, is one of that tart's prized fairies. One of a kind, she is." A long black nail was gently stroked along the feathers and the mini fairy shivered. "She had foolishly wandered into my lair one night. I suppose she was stupid enough to get separated from the rest of them." Suddenly, he dug his nails into her side and she screeched loudly, trembling. Her screams of agony and discomfort brought a cruel smile to Pitch's face. Knowing she was affiliated with the tooth fairy and seeing her in agony made the corners of Jack's mouth twitch up into a smile similar to Pitch's.

"I figured you need a friend if I'm away. Unfortunately, she will not obey you or I since we're working together and she will try to escape. However…"

His voice lowered to a soft, malicious tone and dark sand swirled up around her body, washing over the small figure before she even knew what was happening. She twittered desperately and did her best to fight it off, but she was just too tired from whatever Pitch had done to her.

"…A little corruption will do her good.."

The fairy's movements stilled all of a sudden and the sand was completely sucked into her body, leaving a few specks of black in its wake. A distorted twitter sounded and Jack was mystified at how much her appearance had changed.

Gone were her vibrant feathers that had seemed so vivid and full of color. They were now filled with black, orange, and golden colors that all clashed together quite well. As she sat up and her wings beat in the air a mile a minute, Jack took note that she had two different hues of eye color: one a vibrant golden and the other a fiery orange. The single golden feather that was growing out of her head had turned pitch black. Her wings had not changed much, but little specks of dark sand sprinkled downwards as she turned her head to stare directly up at the young man.

"I think I like her better this way. She was much more annoying the way she was before." Jack commented and the fairy blinked, rose up into the air, and flitted around Pitch's head before settling on his shoulder.

"I completely agree. Now, I was thinking about our conversation earlier and how you said you thought of yourself as weak. If you'd like, I can corrupt you so you'll become twice as powerful. With the powers of ice and darkness by your side, you'll be unstoppable!"

Opportunity came a knocking for Jack and here was his chance. No way in hell was he going to let this go to waste. This would be great for him and now that he was presented with the option, yes he was going to take it with fully open arms! His new form might take some getting used to, but that was the worst of it in his eyes at least.

"I'm in. The stronger I am, the more powerful I'll be, like ya said." Excitement coursed through his body and a large smile spread across his face. "Plus, what goes better than cold and dark?"

Pitch chuckled, amused at the boy's eager attitude and abrupt change in mood from before when they had last talked. "Nothing, dear Jack. Nothing."

While all was being said, the fairy had crept cautiously from Pitch's shoulder and flitted through the air and settled onto Jack's without him noticing. She cooed and cuddled up to his neck and Jack ran a fingers down the soft feathery part of her head.

"Look at that. She's taking a liking to you already." Pitch turned away and started to walk back down the way he came by shadow. "We can begin the process anytime you're ready. In the meantime, pick a name for her, why don't you? The library's right down the hall. Just take a left from the kitchen and you'll be there. Also, there should be a small journal of mine on the ways corruption. Call me when you've had a look."

In a flash of snow, Jack was sprinting down where Pitch had directed him to and the minifairy clung to his jacket to keep from falling off.

The library was incredibly huge and was shelf to shelf with over thousands of books. Jack walked past rows upon rows of books for what seemed like ages until he came across a book of Latin words.

It was a small red book that Jack had no trouble blowing the dust off. Licking his finger, he opened the book and started to flip through it, the fairy on his shoulder keeping obediently silent.

"Here we go…" Jack had a bit of a tough time trying to pronounce the word that was in front of his gaze, but he managed to."Vitiosus. It means corruption. I'll call you Viti for short?"

She let out a happy squeak and clung onto his neck nuzzling into his jacket at his name choice. Viti rose into the air and then flew over to another book that laid on a table near the shelf, tugging on the fabric of Jack's jacket, chirping excitedly.

"Hmm?" He turned and picked up the small black book from the table and stared down at it for a minute. The cover was a sleek black color and had a leathery feel to it. Jack slowly opened to the first yellowed page that he was sure not to rip for the journal's pages seemed ancient and tear able.

The first page depicted the old start of a sketch of a large black horse with glowing yellow eyes, but it would appear Pitch had stopped drawing somewhere near the back muscular legs and the long legs. Viti's eyes sparkled down at how detailed the horse was. Jack smiled over at her and patted her head. "You think he draws well, dontcha?" She made a small noise of happiness and he flipped to the next page, the neat cursive meeting his eyes. There were no stray marks on the page and though it was old, the boogeyman had kept it well preserved.

_During my travels and experience learning how to tame the darkness and what lurks within, I have come across a number of ways to corrupt a being. But first let me talk about the rules of corruption. There are many,MANY rules that you must follow when preforming the ritual, but here are just the top three I consider to be the most important. Yes, even the darkness has its rules and regulations._

_Rule number one; You must never corrupt someone against their will. They must fully consent to the darkness. Rule number 2: Respect. Respect the darkness and the shadows as you would respect a weapon. The darkness can be your best friend or your worst enemy if not treated properly. I have had the unfortunate experience to see one of my friends go down the wrong path and-_

_The rest of the sentence had been scratched out with wide, broad strokes of a black quill almost as if Pitch had been too upset to finish. Poor Pitch… As Jack read down further past the dried ink, he thought about Pitch and the two rules he'd read so far which seemed simple enough to follow. And he would obey them without question._

_The third and final rule is be confident in yourself and in what you can do. Remember, the darkness is only able to work if you let it. I'm usually not the one for sounding cliché', but this is the best way I can put it._

If Jack could become confident in himself and his abilities and believe in himself just as Pitch, did, he'd be much better off. And he made up his mind that he would prevail and that he would not let these negative thoughts plague his mind any more.

A few pages later, Jack finally found the chapter he was searching for.

_Ways to infect and corrupt_

_I've only heard of two ways to corrupt. It's odd, isn't it? Even after all this talk of corruption and the darkness, I've only seen and heard of two ways. Perhaps people who wield such abilities have not discovered more methods. I do not know, but hope they will have thought of better ones along the road._

The drawing on the next page was incredibly graphic in nature and Jack simply stared speechlessly down at the details. The drawing depicted a large jagged black arrow piercing deep into the stomach of a man who was covered in black blood. The writing was rushed, but readable; Pitch seemed in a hurry to get this done and out of the way ASAP.

_Mortis. The reason this deadly tactic is called this is because when you corrupt someone with this type of darkness, they become dead inside. They lose all their emotions and are unable to do anything, but obey. They become an empty shell of what they once were. While I am a sadistic man in nature, I highly recommend that no one goes through such torment and they find a better way if there is such one._

Jack heard Viti's nervous squeaks and nearly jumped a foot in the air because he just realized she was still here with him. She was shaking her head, "No." at the method and he had to agree with her, that no, he wouldn't want that to happen to him at all.

He flipped to the next page and bit his lip while expecting to see something just as bad, even not worse for the way to corrupt someone. He realized he was holding his breath in suspense and slowly exhaled in relief as he read the next page.

The drawing showed a small black seed being swallowed by a figure and the next panel showing the figure's hair and eyes changing color.

_The Fearling Seed. It's amazing what one of these little seeds will do. They can twist the most pure and innocent hearts into a heart of darkness and corruption. This is a safer way to corrupt a person because while the seed itself corrupts and changes the heart, it does not complete change the person's personality. They would still be the same, just a little bit more dark spirited._

"Pitch! I've made up my mind!"

Before leaving the library, Jack and Viti had straightened up and were now back outside in the hall. Almost at once, the shadows crept and twisted upwards as Pitch appeared down the hall and glided toward Jack expectantly.

"Your journal said the Fearling Seed was the safer way. And I want to be safe when I get corrupted."

He smiled down at Jack and extended his hand out to him and the young man took it slowly.

"Excellent. Though I must warn you Jack, it won't be too pleasant an experience. It won't be so much as painful as it will be uncomfortable, if not strange. You are going to hear things throughout the process, voices whispering as they push and shove darkness into your mind.The pressure won't be pleasant, but I will do my best to get it done and over with as quickly as I can."

He was fully aware that there would be some effects, but they wouldn't last for long. Jack took a deep breath and nodded. Viti fluttered and flitted around the ice spirit excitedly and Pitch looked at her. "Leave us. There can be no interruptions when the corruption is taking place." At once, she was gone down the hall and shadows swirled around both males to transport them to the Corruption Chamber.

He was ready.

* * *

The old yellowed walls of the room were cracked and torn, but the place was still standing upright and the floor was tiled and scattered with small runes of some sort. The room that they were now in was built in a circular area and the only light available were those floating blue lights that Jack had seen when he had first entered the boogeyman's lair.

Pitch handed Jack the small seed and stepped away from the boy and just watched him for a second to see if he would hesitate. To his delight, he did not. Pitch's eyes glittered as Jack took a deep breath and gulped down the seed.

At first nothing happened and Jack thought it was a dud. He opened his mouth to tell Pitch when suddenly pressure made his head start to ache and he dropped down on one knee in order to clutch his head. "W..what?" His voice was muffled, like he was underwater and the pressure grew worse like Jack's head was about to erupt.

A dull roar that quickly rose into a crescendo of defeating, incoherent whispers that tore through his mind and he could feel his hands and fingertips shake; his staff was sent skidding across the floor from him as he jerked spastically while trying to lift his head. Jack's body felt heavy and he wasn't sure how much more of the pressure and the voices he could take. But at the same time, there was something else there; a dark sensation that spread across his body and made him feel…powerful. Like he could do anything he wanted to with no one to stop him or tell him he was wrong. He had the complete power to do whatever he wanted, when he wanted and that excited him to no end.

A loud, cold laugh exploded from his lips and he could have sworn he felt his trousers tighten a little bit…His cheeks flushed and the teen cried out loudly in pure undulated pleasure.

Then everything went black.

Exhale.

Inhale.

Exhale.

Inhale.

* * *

He was laying on his side and no longer felt the pressure, that awful pressure in his head or heard the voices. Everything was silent. Jack laid there for a moment and did his best to make sense of what his feelings were. He just felt…peaceful and a new sense of energy inside his body. Jack's eyes snapped opened and he heard Pitch's low voice from not a foot from him. He caught sight of the long black robe and swallowed.

"Rise, my fearling.."

Jack rose up on his feet and inhaled slowly a couple of times, the blue lights reflected faintly in his eyes."…I feel different." He sounded different as well; his voice still sounded the same, but the pitch had a raspier, somewhat distorted tone.

A mirror was handed to him and Jack gripped the sides carefully. A young man with raven colored hair and bright golden eyes stared back at him. Instead of feeling horrible and depressed about his abilities back when he was pure, he now felt confident about himself and about his self image. A small laugh came from his throat, but this was not a laugh filled with joy or laughter. This was a sound that was malicious and cold; it echoed through the room and Pitch couldn't have been happier.

Jack Frost had gone from a horribly fragile, insecure teenager to a confident man filled with the darkness now possessing his heart and body. When he heard Jack laugh, it sent shivers of pleasure down his spine and he completely loved the darkness in him.

"…How does it feel? Do you feel powerful?"

Jack had nearly forgot Pitch was there and he flickered his gaze up to him. "Yes, I do. I just feel so…alive as well." He smiled and felt a gray hand being clamped around his shoulder. "As you should. However, you need to still learn how to use your powers. But we can focus on that later." Jack continued to smile and leaned into Pitch's chest slowly.

"You should be able to switch back and fourth from dark to your normal form. Since the seed is very small, you got corrupted, but not to the point where it fully takes away your appearance or powers of winter."

Jack shut his eyes and focused on changing back and felt the darkness and shadows dispersing within his body. He saw his normal white hair and blue eyes when he reopened them, but knew that he wasn't the same now.

The darkness was within him.

He was within the darkness.

The tightness in his pants increased and a light heat colored his cheeks, too late he realized he made the mistake of blushing while staring into the mirror.

Oh yes, Pitch had seen the way Jack had looked when he was laying on the floor, face flushed and that little cry that had emitted from those perfect, pale lips had stirred something inside him that he had never felt in thousands of years.

Lust.

All he wanted to do was throw Jack back down on the floor and completely dominate his body to the point where Jack would think of nothing but he, the Nightmare King.

But as much as Pitch wanted to act upon his actions, he couldn't for he did not want to scare Jack. Hmm, teasing would have to do for now…

"I see you like the darkness." His voice had suddenly lowered immensely and seduction oozed from every word he spoke. Jack dropped the mirror at the sound of his voice and it shattered on the floor. He backed away from the much taller man who took his time in pressing him up toward the wall.

"Goodness, Jack.." He leaned close and trailed a single long finger down the spirit's red cheek. "You're blushing. I wonder what could have brought that on, hmm?"

Pitch was too close to him, too uncomfortably close, but Jack didn't back away and just stayed put as he felt embarrassment churn in his body. He wanted nothing more than to sink into the floor and be anywhere, anywhere away from the boogeyman. But then again, did he really want to? Those golden eyes boring into his his and that seducing voice, not to mention that hot accent…it made Jack's knees go weak.

However, Jack wouldn't let him know his thoughts and his voice was shaky." I-I'm not blushin'."

The boogeyman was now pressed up against Jack's body and barely closed the space in between them. Jack had all the time he could to escape, but he was slightly curious to see what Pitch would do.

"Oh really now? Your pretty little face tells a different story." Long shadowy tendrils appeared from the walls and ensnared the boy's wrists to the rough material. His blue eyes widened and Jack let out another shaky breath as he suddenly felt Pitch's nails lightly graze against the bulge.

"You're so big..." he breathed, his hot breath sending shivers down Jack's spine. The winter sprite could literally feel the intense temperature difference between them. Pitch's body was far warmer than his - and even though he's never been in contact with a human before, Jack was pretty sure he was hotter than one too.

The Boogeyman chuckled, the tendrils of shadows suddenly slithering under Jack's hoodie to stroke and ease at the flesh of his back and arms. Jack gasped sharply at the contact, his cheeks taking on a darker shade of pinkish red. His vision wavered as the urge to simply close his eyes and FEEL threatened to overwhelm him. His knees shook, and Pitch watched, enraptured, as Jack's body seemed to melt in his grasp.

Pitch tisked, "Naughty boy..." he chuckled.

A single ashen hand stroked Jack's cheek, the heated flesh nearly smoldering on his face. The hand gently, slowly, traced down his neck, shoulder, chest, and down to his stomach, where the long fingers danced around the hem of his pants.

Oh, how the teenager desired to have Pitch do nasty things to him and touch him in ways that would make him moan and say his name in a whisper. He waited, and waited some more impatiently. What was taking him so long? Jack's eyes opened and widened at..nothing.

And just like that, the Nightmare King was gone.

_Oh, goddammit._

He was still incredibly hard and had to keep his groans to a minimum as he slid down the wall.

"Damn tease…" Pitch had left him with blue balls and sexually frustrated beyond relief to the point where it was starting to become rather painful.

A low chuckle echoed and there was silence once more.


	7. Practice makes perfect

Being a teenager for three hundred plus years took its toll on Jack who felt like his trousers were about to rip open at the seams, and at how hot and bothered he had become as he hastily stumbled back to his room. Damn Pitch and his damn teasing and his damn seducing voice... Where the hell did that even come from? He remembered wanting so bad for the taller male to explore his body and to get goddamn down and dirty with the teenager.

The one who desperately needed to be touched in a way that no one else could. If Pitch showed up right here and now and had teased Jack again, oh hell, he'd beg for him to take him and then force the winter spirit on his knees so he could- He needed to be away from the boogeyman and..that fucking sexy attitude of his. And not to mention, he needed to keep himself under complete control or he might do something he would most certainly regret in the future.

"Stupid hormones."

Fearlings-Jack couldn't tell what kind they were- stared curiously at him from the darkness, wondering why he was walking so funny. He paid them no mind and continued on walking until he had reached his room and unlocked the door, opened it, then shut and re-locked it where Jack immediately tossed his staff on the bed and slid down the wall all in one motion.

He took a deep breath and slowly opened his legs to stare down at the huge bulge that was just to break out and ruin his trousers. His long pale fingers hovered just inches above the one place that needed relief and his face reddened immensely.

Back when he had an problem like this, he always was alone and had easily jerked off because he had no audience, but now, sitting there in the comfort of his own room, Jack paused and slowly withdrew his fingers and bit his lip to hold down a moan.

He couldn't do that here, not with the possibility of a Fearling or a Nightmare bursting into the room and watching him "choke the chicken" as he had heard some people call masturbating. Because holy shit, he would want to die if someone ever walked in at that moment.

Creating ice flurries was no difficulty for the boy as he sat there and waved his hand around in the air as he placed his chilled hands in between his legs and a small patch of ice began to form on his crotch.

Jack of course couldn't feel the sensation of cold, but he could feel the swelling from his excitement start to go down some. Now all he needed to do was find a way to distract himself from his sex crazed thoughts and everything would be fine again.

The ice spirit slowly took a deep breath and then another one and lifted his head to stare at the stray snow particles floating in the air around him.

Concentration was key right now, and he needed to clear his mind.

Darkness and shadows enveloped his figure, an inky black color frosting over his snow white and his eyes changing to their bright amber color. His staff flew from on the bed and into his hand as he rose to his feet. The intense power flowing through his body and his staff set his mind at ease and a soft sigh of content left his lips as snow white fingers ran themselves through his hair.

It wasn't soft when he was in this form, it was spiked and felt like it had been gelled up. Experimentally, he reached out and lifted his hand up in front of his face, fingers curling. Small wisps of nightmare sand began to form in a small cluster that was rapidly enlarging the more Jack focused.

It was at that moment that Jack's nose itched, and he gave barely a shake of his head and held his breath, his lungs soon screaming for oxygen.

He had no time to turn his head as a loud sneeze echoed through the room and Jack could only watch in disappointment as the nightmare sand was blown up toward the ceiling.

"Great. Wonderful. Fantastic." He mumbled and wiped his hands on his trousers and allowed an irritated groan to leave his lips.

"How did Pitch do it?"

A hand was raised once again and Jack sighed; okay, that was only a minor setback. He knew he'd be able to conquer this, but he needed to figure this out for himself. He'd ask Pitch, but he didn't want to have to live with the embarrassment of facing the boogeyman again after their past encounter.

Also, the boogeyman was probably having a good laugh about how flustered he'd made the ice spirit. Yeah, whatever. He could do this without help. A small huff of annoyance was released from his throat and he let dark thoughts consume his mind.

Defeating the Guardians, hearing their screams of agony as they faded away, made him smirk a bit. Apparently that was all that had been needed, was just a simple bad thought, and nightmare sand once again formed into his hand until it was a giant good sized ball of darkness.

"Yeah!" A loud cheer fell from his lips and he laughed while nudging the sand toward the palm of his other hand with his fingers.

As it flowed into his other hand, Jack grinned and tossed the nightmare sand up into the air and it drifted toward the ceiling to settle in a clump. He once again wiped his hands on his trousers and snatched his staff from the bed, darkness instantly cloaking and slithering up the base of the staff as it altered from a deep brown to match the color of his hair.

Now, what could he do with this? He swept the staff through the air in front of him, a column of black jagged, almost purple tinted ice cracking and rippling through the room, freezing the walls and the ceiling above him. That could be prove to be useful in fighting the Guardians the next time they showed their faces, and the duo would be ready to fight them with all they got.

A small mew to his right suddenly caught his attention and Jack turned to see the Fearling kitten from be tumble into view from the wall, its face currently covered by its tail as it had taken a spill on the floor and landed with its small feet in the air and a look of surprise on its face. Jack laughed and the sound startled the dark feline, making it jump up on all fours and hiss cutely as it glared at Jack.

"Oh, I'm scared." His mocking tone made the kitten hiss and then dart off into the other side of the wall, leaving the spirit to laugh again and shake his head as he returned his attention to his staff. He raised it high into the air and brought the end of it to the floor, shadows slithering out from under his bed and the corners of the room where they rippled up to him. The four of them twisted up in four humanoid, feminine figures with pupiless white eyes that were focused on the teen.

Their bodies weren't made of shadows like he thought they'd be, and were more wispy and smoky with a light, icy blue tint that Jack knew were from his powers of winter.

His servants...

They stood there, motionless as if awaiting an order from him and Jack cleared his throat while running a hand through his hair. "I don't need anything for now." The four of them rippled away into the darkness once more and Jack remained on the floor and stared after the place where they had gone to.

Jack was about to stand, when a familiar twitter and squeak came from above him. Viti flitted and darted around his head, then cuddled up affectionately to his cheek.

She nearly fainted at how handsome Jack looked in his corrupted form and she instantly latched onto his hair, flopping over on her back and rolling around. He'd make anyone jealous with his good looks! The spirit reached up and ran his fingers down her backside, sighing at how cute she looked.

He'd say she was innocent, but being corrupted by Pitch? That was hardly innocence. "Hey. What's up?" The corrupted fairy flitted through the air and settled down on Jack's knee, one small hand tapping on her chin as if she was thinking about something she had wanted to tell him. She suddenly gasped and pulled on the arm of Jack's hoodie.

"Huh? What is it? Is it Pitch?"

A nod.

"Does he want to see me? Because the last time we saw each other, he kind of gave me blue balls. I'm not really sure if that's such a good idea."

The fairy giggled loudly; leave it to her master to do something like that to his apprentice and make him flustered.

Jack's cheeks reddened and he covered his face with his hands and looked away from her.

"It's not funny, alright? It's..kinda embarrassing. You wouldn't understand."

He was wrong there. She understood enough by the way he was acting to know that he did have a crush on Pitch, no maybe about it.

It was really cute to see him behave the way he was, and the fairy wanted to help him out with his problem. Unfortunately, there was the language barrier between them, and she supposed she'd just have to wait to see what she could do to help him sort out his feelings.

Viti sighed and rolled her eyes with a small giggle and directed her attention toward the door. "Alright, then...let's see what Pitch wants." As Viti settled into Jack's hand, the boy rose to his feet and opened the door to see Viti fly ahead of him and leave a trail of nightmare sand behind her.


End file.
